Ronan-Gai's Pride: A Beastkin's Mark
by Quentix Starwing
Summary: Ronan-Gai, the location where all who fled from the ruins of the fallen Ikaruga Federation make their home. Within this mass exodus, the Shimazu Clan came forth. We come to see how Ikaruga natives have adjusted and how the youngest of the Shimazu, Kinjou gets wrapped up in something so much bigger than himself. Chap. IV is up now.
1. Chapter: Prologue

A/N: Welcome to yet another Blazblue fanfic by yours truly. To those of you who have read me before: you likely know what you're in for, I try to keep the ride new and well paced. To those who haven't read me: This ride starts off pretty simple, but it gets bumpy and wild at times. These fics tend to be OC centric with a healthy helping of the cast here and there. With that out of the way, some words of warning about this fiction.

The content of this fiction will possess a lot of the hidden undertones of racism/species hatred that the Beastkin of the BB Universe deal with on a regular occasion. Naturally this is something easily missed, as much of the case of Blazblue tend to be either neutral or uncaring about another being a beastkin. However, as seen within Makoto's content ingame throughout the series, she had to contend with some pretty heavy amounts of it while growing up. The academy appears to hold a similar atmosphere, even though its a lot better there (as any place of order would not tolerate open discrimination), still it would not have this disappear from the workplace or life in general. I just wanted to be fair, warning folks about it before it began.

I will be introducing my Kinkajou beastkin OC, named Kinjou Shimazu and following him through his involvement on the goings on in Kagutsuchi and how his world quickly becomes more, as he involves himself with the unfolding madness that is the main plotline of the BB Storyline. And so now, without boring you further, here we go.

(End A/N)

Prologue: The Shimazu Clan & Ronan-Gai

Time was difficult at first in the 13th Heirarchical City of Kagustuchi, for those of the Ikaruga Federation. The people whose forces were decimated during the civil war against the Novus Orbis Librarium, a dominating world government as it was known today. When Lord Tenjo Amanasoka fell in battle, it marked the end of a struggle against the inevitable. A government who turned against its Imperator, claimed the hierarchical city of Ikaruga rogue and war was soon declare. This horrendous act continued until all inhabitants who had remained within the range of the killer satellite weapon from space, were annihilated by a single apocalyptic blast.

The active resistance was snatched from a proud people, who endured resentment from the many places that citizens retreated to. The commute was hard for them, and those who'd fled the war before the blast, embraced their countrymen and showed them home. The section of the city where the proud men and women of Ikaruga, who lived in the section of Kagutsuchi called Ronan-Gai also known as Little Ikaruga. It was the bitter seed of civility that kept the people working on recovery and not revenge. It was a lot of hard work, but strength of will flowed strong through the enduring people's veins.

The same that flowed through the veins of the Shimazu Clan. Three generations of the Kinkajou Beastkin who once resided in Ikaruga, now shared a small, but comfortable home. From the Matriarch of the family to the youngest son, everyone worked to earn a living. And it was by this hard work that the Shimazu name was one known to have some menial success through their earnings. Both through the teahouse and martial arts dojo, run by the Matriarch and her daughter respectively; the Ikarugan people knew a little more pride through them.

As it showed the unity, despite the differences between those human and beastkin; this mattered little before the unity of Ikaruga. Though this did little to shield the Shimazu Clan from the occasional alienation which came from their new home. Outside of Ronan-Gai, this was only more noticeable. Such was an accepted facet of life, since not everyone was so rude. It was due to the rarity of a classical Ikarugan style teahouse, that the Pale Lotus Teahouse met with some decent success. Receiving a regular influx of clientele, the family stood fast before all difficulties since then.

With several years passing quickly, the household managed to prosper in this time. The Shimazu name became a staple of the local neighborhood, they were all a big family with those in Ronan-Gai. Though the household stood strong, not all of the Shimazu members could be rid of such dark emotion so easily. Simply enduring did not do for the heart of the second eldest of the Shimazu sons was not content. His feeling towards the Librarium were festering and often got in the way of his duties.

At least, his first years were difficult and the negativity was targeted by his parents. As both mother and father trained their son in the more intensive of the Shimazu secrets, they worked to cleanse him of that resentment. A process that was eventually tamed the negative feelings, through the virtues of the family style and meditation. While the dark feelings would never fully go away, discipline was one of the traits that helped him remain firm. Kinjou Sosuke Shimazu finally felt like he could attend to duties unhindered.

Even after this day followed, he continued to improve himself and his skills, vowing that he'd take up the business as a Vigilante. A business that his father was in, bringing in some local bounties to the Library's warrant station. Kinjou chose to follow his father's example, as he wanted to find another means of dealing with the chip on his shoulder. It was a duty that he willingly took up, choosing to deliver the crooks to justice. Kinjou found success in his duties, as he focused on the bounties and made sure they were taken down with great prejudice.

Over the next four years, Kinjou would have earned a name for himself amongst Ronan-Gai Vigilante. Being regarded by the renowned Bang Shishigami as a fighter for justice, the beastkin managed to sustain a sturdy sense of humility even as his name spread. Naturally, being a half decent Vigilante earned the family scorn from small thugs or hoodlums. The extra attention was unfortunate, but as the troublemakers were subdued and turned over to the authorities things would proceed. It seemed that the status quo of the Pale Lotus Teahouse was the occasional trouble, as such seemed fairly regular in Orient Town.

-Present Day-

While at least an occasional occurrence, Kinjou barely noticed the changing hour. As his life had become routine, it was simply another day as the sole server during the morning open shift. His grandmother was the maître d and covering the front, while his father was in the kitchen cooking today. His mother was running the dojo and things were simply business as usual. At least, until the next guest had entered the teahouse.

"Good Morning, I've heard some nice rumors this place is good for relaxing, have any open seats?" the voice asked, being extra polite despite the teahouse being virtually empty.

"Certainly, if you'll take a seat where you like, we can supply you with a menu and complimentary tea while you wait." Kinjou's grandmother, Meilen always offered complimentary tea to a new face.

The gesture did not go unnoticed and had the notably dressed young woman smile wider, "That sounds great, I'll just take a spot here."

The young lady had found a quick seat to the right of the maître d's position, as there was no need to go too far. Right next to the entrance was convenient for her. Meilen was quick to bring the tea from the kitchen, moving with a swiftness and grace that made her appear to glide. Right in the moment she arrived, she'd set down the tea cup and small teapot. This would allow the new guest to enjoy the tea's flavor and any nuances if she enjoyed it.

"Thanks a lot, that's great!"

"Of course, I hope you enjoy yourself at the Pale Lotus Teahouse. Your waiter will be right along."

Meilen had turned to go, before she was asked to stop a moment. Addressing their guest respectfully, she looked to the young lady and smiled as she spoke, "Yes? How can I help you?'

"Oh, I just wanted to know your name. It's not every day I meet such genuinely welcoming hosts." certainly she was impressed with the degree of it.

"My name is Meilen Shimazu, I am pleased to meet you." the matriarch of the Shimazu greeted her guest with a small head bow, just being polite in the gesture.

"Meilen Shimazu? That's a nice name, and I think I've heard a little about you. Oh! Sorry almost forgot to introduce myself, I'm Makoto Nanaya, and the pleasure's all mine!" Makoto gave her a smile after the exchanged greeting.

"Well, Miss Nanaya, my grandson is ready to take your order." Meilen said this, gesturing to the menu that was just to Makoto's right.

At this time, Kinjou stood to her right side near the table edge. In hand, a notepad at which he waited to take her order. Makoto gave a thumbs up briefly before taking to scanning the menu for something. She felt a hankering for something with a good nutty flavor, and found a choice in the scone section. After scanning over twice, she came to what she felt was a good choice.

"Alright, I'll take two scones: one cinnamon-walnut and the other a raspberry cashew." pleased with her choice, the squirrel-kin grinned and set the menu aside.

"Those are excellent choices, Miss Nanaya. I'll place the order right away." Kinjou gave her a light head nod and as he turned to head off, he'd heard Makoto ask him a question.

"And what should I you? Meilen called you her grandson, though I'd rather not be rude like that." the casualness with which she took it made him smile somewhat.

"Please call me Kinjou. I'm also glad to meet you, Makoto. Ahem, Miss Nanaya." though Kinjou imagined she didn't mind, he was trying not to be rude, as a waiter.

"No problem, I don't mind you calling me Makoto." waving her hand as to say that it didn't matter.

"Alright, I'll hurry though. It doesn't do to wait on an empty stomach." Kinjou said before heading towards the kitchen.

Once he disappeared behind the drape over the open doorway, Kinjou handed his father the first order of the day. While he was back there, he briefly reflected on what it was like to talk to someone that relaxed. It wasn't as if beastkin weren't around Kagutsuchi, though most kept to themselves. It was rare to find someone as open as Makoto and for Kinjou, this was refreshing to him. It hadn't taken long for him to head back out and check around, as this was why he was being paid.

Makoto's scones were up and ready quickly and once Kinjou gathered them up on a plate, he brought them out to her table. Once they were set down, he'd left them and then stood opposite the Squirrel beastkin at the side table. While she took the first bite, Makoto's eyes widened at the embedded flavor; it had been so tasteful! She made sure to savor the first bite, chewing through to see how deep the flavor ran. With just the first bite done, she set the scone down and excitedly exclaimed over the flavor.

"This is A-mazing! I'd have a million questions about how you managed it, I mean your family. This has gotta be a home-based recipe, right?" Makoto asked Kinjou this question.

"Yes, it is actually. I'm glad you noticed." he nodded, as a little bit of pride appeared on his face. It certainly was a family trade for making the food for the Teahouse.

It was while the two were having their friendly discussion, that a small group of unsavory individuals showed up. Such a thing was a regular occurrence in the Orient Town area. So as the three men walked in, the leader of the trio let out a loud sound. It was half between a growl and a sound of irritation, and the man's eyes were looking around the open space of the teahouse. He then broke into a fit of laughter, almost as if something hysterical was said.

"What kind of a dump is this place? Seriously! Ha its like the people here are fossils or something, this décor is cheap!" the obnoxiousness grew as the man turned to face the kneeling Meilen.

"Hey old hag, how much to eat here?" The man asked her, with hands in his pocket: the red headed man's towering height of 6'2" made him tower over Meilen even more so as she sat.

Still she was unflinching towards the attitude. Instead she gave him a simple reply that she'd give any customer who asked politely.

"The price paid on the tab depends upon the kind of dish and drink ordered, honorable patron." her focused eyes opened then, and despite a pleasant smile; the atmosphere grew slightly heavier.

"Honorable patron? Whatever granny! Get us your best table, or we might just wreck something." the arrogant man grinned and his two friends chuckled.

"Yeah hurry up, you weird little marsupial kin! We're going to be gray and old before you're done rising." the second of these men spoke, in an attempt to get a rise out of Meilen.

Instead of responding negativity, Meilen rose to her feet gracefully and without making a sound; she stood before the three men. With her hands folded up within her yukata sleeves, she greeted the men with a small head bow. She was showing respect to them, despite the blatant disregard for manners on behalf of the men. It was something that Makoto was finding it hard to stay quiet about. In fact, the only reason she hadn't done something was because Meilen had been responding.

"Those dirt bags...how can she be so calm? I mean they are probably spitting all over her, the yelling is hurting my ears from where we're sitting, and they are slinging species hate. I've had just about all I can stand." Makoto had said this quietly, just enough that Kinjou could hear it. She wasn't planning to hurt the men badly, but instead to use her authority to send them on their way.

Kinjou gently patted her arm, giving her a small smile and a shake of his head before speaking on the matter, "Don't worry, Oba-sama has a plan for them. As there is a reason that our teahouse hasn't seen any incidents."

Makoto blinked as that was an odd statement to make. Even though she didn't know the details of what he spoke of. He seemed sure that all would be well, while she was unsure, she would let it play out a little longer. It was only at his insistence that she bothered to allow it. Patience wasn't one of her strongest virtues, she wouldn't let it go on for long.

The man sneered at Meilen as she stood and began to reach for her left shoulder, "What's that? Got a problem gran-" he never finished his words before finding his wrist fell numb, as the elder beastkin poked his wrist with her right hand's index finger.

To the man's surprise his wrist had been painlessly poked, before it fell limp. After a moment of trying to move it, his face lit in anger as he threw his right fist at Meilen's face. While he let off something of a strangled sound, it was clear that his frustration and anger were backing his attack. As if the man were moving in slow motion, Meilen's right hand gently pressed down on that fist and directed his punch low. His full body had been thrown into the attack, so he ended up tumbling forward and landing on a cushion.

As the first of these men sat in confusion, Meilen casually pivoted on her right leg and in her slightly sideways position; she guided the second man's kick to the side and sent him into a forced roll. He'd tumble to the head of the table the first man was at in the roll and as he came out of the tumble, his face would smack the table surface and daze him slightly. The last of the man tried to haymaker punch the smaller beastkin's apparent blind spot. And without facing him, Meilen lowered her right shoulder and allowed her position to carry the man over her shoulder and into a free fall towards the ground. She'd catch the man's upper back and helped him to sit down on the ground.

Though the last of the men was feeling sore from the fall, he hadn't suffered its full effects. And despite the man's thought to continue was strong, a firm grip that helped him remain upright did tell him of the strength holding him up. The first man started to say something, before he received a single look from the elder beastkin that just shut him up. The words died in his throat and the second man chose to keep his mouth shut, since something felt very wrong about her gaze. The three men settled into the spot where they'd been seated without further issue.

"I'm glad you found your seats, now...please gentlemen, decide what you want to eat. We have an excellent selection to choose from." the maître d did her duty, and offered the men he menus at the end of the table.

It didn't take long before the three men went about passing orders, while Makoto watched them act as patrons. There was no back talk, no more smug commentary; even though she could notice the fear in the men. Her gaze passed to Meilen and she just blinked softly at it, trying to fathom how a situation that far along reversed. Even though she felt the presence from the elder Shimazu, it had been very brief and she hadn't harmed the men really. As far as she could see, all she did was politely gesture towards the men and take them down with minimal effort.

"Wow, what the heck was that? I mean, she barely moved and they are all down. Now they are buying food? I saw it, but still...its a little surreal. So tell me, what exactly did she do back there?" Makoto was sure that she knew what happened based upon observation, but she wanted to hear Kinjou tell her. As it was more of a thing to make it real.

"Grandmother simply applied some point skills of the martial arts and some intimidation to subdue them. I believe she made them realize, that she could do worse at her option. Likely, they feel coerced to agree with what she says. And she did it all without really hurting them, I am really impressed whenever she does get to act." Kinjou clearly admired his grandmother's degree of skill.

Something that Makoto certainly respected by now, though she also realized the fortunate nature of not needing to step in. She now had a good meal and a nice show of some skills as well. It made her feel like she needed to work harder herself, though training was for later. She still had a mission to attend to, that meant establishing contact with the operative for this mission. She'd need to get into contact with Iron Tager before long for further instruction, so she did have to go now.

At least Kagutsuchi had a few nice spots, with this just being one that she'd remember for next time.

'Maybe Noel would like to come and eat here...I'll keep it in mind.'

She let off a small smile at Kinjou and gave him a little grin as she stood up, "Well I must say the I am sorry to say I have to go. It's time I got on from here, this is a real nice place you've got here. Maybe I'll get the chance to catch you later, see you around!" Makoto said this, after paying the bill and leaving a tip, before the bouncy squirrel headed out.

"Well have a wonderful day then, Makoto. I'm glad to have met you!" Kinjou said as she said, he had smiled back, even though the moment was brief.

Still he felt rather glad with the first customer of the day. It was nice to run into another beastkin now and again, and what's more one that was as pleasant as she was. There was a thing about her sweetness that surprised him, though it was probably just because she looked close to his age. Laughing to himself, he waved off the feeling of familiarity and left it alone; he went about picking up the items on the table and tucking the tip in his apron. It would be gathered and shared properly by himself and his grandmother.

The day of work continued, starting slow and gradually picking up pace as their regulars came in. It was just another day of work and Kinjou was none the wiser about anything beyond his usual rotation of regular events. Once he was out of work, he was on his way to train at the dojo with his mother today and the advanced class. It was tomorrow as that was going to be his really big day. It was the first of a couple of weeks he'd taken off from working at the Pale Lotus Teahouse in order to focus on vigilante work.

He felt that he should strike out on his own and that there was no better way to do this than the combat he'd engage in. Between this and a feeling that was lingering in the air, something was compelling him to action. He went with the feeling, figuring it was just instinct and a want to use the craft he'd honed over the years. He did wonder about what bounty he'd bring down first, even though that depended upon the list itself. It all depended on who was available for him to go after.

Makoto had gone about meeting up with Tager and sharing the password, once it had been confirmed as to who she was; her next mission was given to her. She was to find Noel Vermillion and bring her to meet up with Tager, it was something that she hoped to do to ensure her friend's safety. Nothing more than Noel's safety was a high priority for her, so she found this made the mission a shoe in for her. Once done with the briefing, she headed off enthusiastically in hopes that she'd be able to find Noel before she got herself into some trouble. Once she learned that Tsubaki was to find and execute Noel and Jin, the feeling left a horrible sick feeling in her stomach; this was something that she had to prevent.

The double agent disappeared into Kagutsuchi, using what little she knew of the city and the known habits of one of her closest friends in order to try and predict Noel's placement. She looked for Noel high and low with the hopes that she'd find her around the next corner. As intel had it that she and the Major had come to Kagutsuchi, it was left to the difficult task of sifting through the people to find her. It couldn't be that hard to find a short, blond haired female Librarium officer in Kagutsuchi...right? She felt that she needed to check the lower regions first, since Ragna the Bloodedge was rumored to be in the city.

Even though security was supposed to have been tightened, the lack of Librarium soldiers was troubling. Typically there were patrols and checkpoints were manned, but she saw nothing. There were no familiar azure blue uniforms on the street, it seemed the presence was minimum. Though she was able to use this to her advantage, as she didn't need to relay her information when checking for Noel. It was a simple trial and error of checking spaces before she moved on.

For Kinjou he was traversing the main road in Ronan Gai on his way to Orient Town. He was going to check on the bounties and see if he recognized any of the names. As long as it was someone that he could go after, he didn't have a problem. It was hard to keep his excitement down he found, as he was getting to see some action for the first time in over a month. As an instructor of the Shimazu Clan martial arts, he refused to let himself lose control, as that would only dishonor his family name.

It was while he was walking down the street that his eyes were drawn to someone peculiar looking. He felt that the person was off somehow, a man who had green hair, a suit of some kind, a hat, and bore a smile. Despite the fact that this person appeared unassuming, there was something that just made his skin crawl. He felt his tail frizzing up slightly, even though he showed no physical response to it. The fact that this person, who passed him without incident made him feel so off, troubled him.

And even though Kinjou never broke his stride, he did pass a quick glance over his shoulder at the back of the man. It left him wondering who he was at first, though only for a moment or two. This wasn't a bounty, so the person wasn't his concern, all that mattered was that he made sure that his focus didn't slip. Tonight was his first night using one of the family weapons, it was a spear said to house a mighty dragon within it; it had been wielded by his now deceased Uncle during the Civil War. The weapon was called the Huang Long Ji (Yellow Dragon Halberd-Spear), said to be worthy only of those who show potential.

Perhaps this made him feel that he could not fail, it was a chance to shine and put the reward money towards the Clan's savings. The bounties would be in trouble, for he was a young man with a mission: part of it was to show some of his pride. As even a beastkin from Ikaruga, was no different than his human brothers or sisters who bore the shame of loss. All were from Ikaruga, and now more than ever, they would show perseverance. This would be a chance to show all who heard of Ikaruga, that the people were proud in all they did; no matter how they were pushed down. It was that chance for the Shimazu Clan, as Kinjou's path would take a harsh turn.

(End Chapter)

It seems to be the best chance to end the prologue which has a bit of a rocky start. Explaining a troubled past and how the Shimazu Clan has its ties, here we will be joining Kinjou on his trip into a very dangerous realm. Something that his daily life couldn't prepare him for, as since his path has crossed with Makoto Nanaya, his life will not be the same. As events unfold we shall find out if this Beastkin has what it takes to survive a path littered with death.

The first official chapter is on its way soon, until then adieu.

-Quentix


	2. Chapter: Entwining Fates

A/N: This is the first official chapter to this story, it has a bit of a rocky start, but that's what prologues do! They have one get through the rough end of the beginning. I'll be revealing a bit at a time as we continue, there is some things you will pick up about the Shimazu Clan. Between this and how Makoto will be interacting shall be a thing ever evolving, hopefully for the better. We'll be jumping around, timeline wise, as far as Blazblue is concerned. This fiction will be following Makoto's individual progress and other in-depth scenarios that I may cook up. So it is fair to say that it will be customized, even if not too much. But let's see how this little dance goes, and no on with the Chapter!

(End A/N)

Chapter I: Entwining Fates

The hunt for his target had been focused the same night that Kinjou headed out. Even though he found himself out through the night, tracking the target carefully. Keeping the distance until the gang leader, known as Markos the Chain was alone. Even though the kinkajou beastkin was capable of easily taking on more than one person, he was being practical about his approach to taking down a bounty. With a bit of stealth, he was able to follow his target from a safe distance and had witnessed the strength of his gang's numbers.

They had been no more than 15 strong, as anything else with more would be investigated by the Library. In a way, while crime had lessened, it was by no means completely erased. With that in mind, Kinjou knew bringing down this man would disperse his gang; he hoped that it might discourage them. It was hard not to just go out there and break their bones, and as to whether it was just his resentment towards humans or the Library; it wasn't exactly clear even to him. But he was going to be better than that, he owed it to him to prove that he was an adult now.

As the night of tracking lead into the early day, the nocturnal nature of the Kinkajou gave him the advantage. As he tracked his victim and waited into the early hours of the morning before he decided to attack. He found them in a rundown building on the edge of Orient Town and had quietly approached the upper floor window by climbing from the side of the building. Such as things were, the dexterous nature of the kinkajou's hands and expertise with climbing allowed him to easily perform this act. It was simply another reason to him that the 'demi-human' insult fell flat on its face, there were many things that any beastkin could do that no human could.

'And that's where the prejudice lays.'

The wisdom of his grandmother echoed through his mind and caused him to let off a soft breath. He didn't have time for his thoughts, so as he made his way to the window's base; with his thick nails, he'd slid the untrimmed tips under the window and started to ease it up slowly. He imagined that it would creak soon, as he didn't expect that he'd be free of trouble getting in. As he heard the window's hinges groan under the pressure of being forced open, his ears twitched as the would-be sentries below shuffled awake from the noise and looked around. He was pretty sure if they looked up, he was busted and so without thinking much about it, he used his arm strength to hoist himself up to the inside of the half open window.

"What was that? Check around the corner! Might be someone in the alley!" the first of the gang members muttered, being jittered awake, he imagined it was close.

As the second man checked the alley, he looked around with a flashlight and found nothing but a few pieces of junk in the alley. Some rundown palette and a couple of other things. At first sight, there was nothing so he couldn't say much, instead he peered around as if he'd seen something move. It brought the first of the gang members to his side, and together the two headed into the alley to check it out quickly. The pair were none the wiser than their leader had some company upstairs, even though Markos himself was still asleep.

Kinjou uttered a few words and erected something of a soundproofing ars, it wasn't very strong; but he managed this in case there was a struggle from Markos. It was almost a given, as no sooner had he slipped on the first of the binding bands to Markos's wrists, did the bulky man's eyes shoot open and look upon the beastkin and immediately yelled for his cronies.

"Hey! Get your sorry asses up here, there's a guy here!" the bewildered Markos hadn't really noticed the ars field in his slowing waking stupor.

While he attempted to struggle, he found himself held down with considerable strength. As his body wakened, the bulk on his body attempted to provide from resistance; but found himself completely held flat as the second bond was fastened quickly. This by no means stopped his struggle, he kicked his left foot up in a vain attempt to get loose. The kick fell very short as the capable gang leader was held steady by the bonds. The ars in the bonds had been of a good level, enough that it completely arrested his arms and locked his elbows so he couldn't resist as effectively.

"You dirty beast! I should've guessed that you weren't human, damned freaky sub-human. My boys will get you soon as they get up here." Markos sounded smug, sure of himself about this fact.

"Oh I don't think so, they didn't hear anything due to the soundproof ars field I erected. You're going in, that'll be that, so flail a little if you want." Kinjou said flatly.

He'd been called much worse in the past, he'd been taught a number of ways to deal with it. With the simplest of it being, let it slide off of him, and with scum like this it was easy enough to do. And though the man made efforts to given him more of a fight, Kinjou simply scooped the man over his shoulder after binding his feet with an ars bind. So far it had gone without incident and it made Kinjou proud, even though he stuffed a couple of socks into the man's mouth, he still made muffled noise. There was likely to be a fight one way or another, if they could catch him.

So without any further thoughts, he moved towards the window haphazardly climbed down supporting Markos's body with one arm. He imagined the bulky man would not care to be dropped two-stories to the ground below. The pavement wouldn't kill him from here, but it might break something. However this didn't stop Markos from trying to alert his gang, and the other thing still saving Kinjou: was the range of his ars field. It gave him a little cover as far as the climb was concerned, but once he made it back to the opposite roof; he'd have to get moving to avoid being seen.

The event turned out pretty much as he predicted, once he cleared the side of the building and made the roof, Markos's muffled sounds were heard. The two thugs went looking for the source of it and found nothing at ground level. Once they were sure it wasn't outside, they headed into the derelict building to check. It was to be some time before they discovered that their gang leader was missing, which made this abduction quite successful. It left Kinjou feeling not only very pleased with himself, but sure that his father would also be proud that he didn't hurt the man.

"You are worth a pretty penny, I mean sure its no Ragna the Bloodedge; but you'll be a great savings for me, with some extra on the side." he laughed a little and patted the side of the man's plump body.

The effort of hefting him off was easily, but comparison to some of the rice bags he spent his time hauling at the teahouse. The success here was something that seemed to be matched by Kinjou's earlier acquaintance. The Librarium Intelligence officer had been active almost all the previous day, tracking down leads of a blond N.O.L. Officer being spotted around the large cityscape. It was in the early morning that Makoto Nanaya had some luck tracking Noel down. As she found her friend had apparently been seen in company of someone with a red and black coat the day prior several times.

While Makoto had found out from Noel that she had come across Tsubaki and though the blond didn't elaborate on it, the squirrel beastkin knew it hadn't been a very good interaction. Not wasting any time, Makoto took Noel to the main Librarium barracks and she had begun to reveal to her close some of what she discovered while poking around. The situation had not been a very pretty one, with the Praetorian Guardian suddenly gone and the main offices themselves empty. It was due to this that Makoto hoped to get Noel out of danger, and so she established contact with Sector Seven. She felt that her actions were limited and the only to be sure of Noel's safety was to see her away from Kagutsuchi.

Using her contact name of Gnu, she established a call with Professor Kokonoe and directly asked for Noel's protection. Since she felt that she could trust the Professor more than the current N.O.L., as it was, she knew one of her closest friends would be safe. Once the call had completed, the pair went off on the move; with Noel following Makoto without any doubts on her mind. The biggest matter now would be seeing that they met up and that there was no incident. With some relief allowing Makoto to function clearly, and she was thinking about how she could help Tsubaki once she saw Noel off safely.

By the time they neared the zone of pickup, Makoto's nose twitched softly with the scent of something damaged on the air. The pillars on the upper-level? She could see the remains of some smoke coming from above and she had a pang of fear in her stomach. Something that crept up her spine and warned her that whoever was up there was no friend of theirs. Her worst fears were confirmed as soon as she made her way to the top of the stairs, she could see destroyed columns and noticed a figure the she recognized down on his face. She raced up the rest of the stairs and stared at the scene, as if to confirm for herself that it was true.

"Tager! Oh god, what happened?!" Makoto's concern was well noticed, as she finally noticed just who was standing above Iron Tager's downed form.

There he was, the man that made her skin crawl and just so happened to be her commanding officer in the Intelligence Department. As she saw him stepping on Tager and applying pressure before stopping and then resuming again, she prepared to get ready for combat. There was nothing on this man...a mysterious man who didn't exist and yet he had such strength as to defeat Tager? She didn't want to find out what a fight with him was like. That being said, she wouldn't stand aside if Noel's life was in danger.

"Captain Hazama?" Noel's confusion at all of this was pretty clear, she'd gotten orders from him earlier and now he was here? Why was there a battle and what was going on here? The questions began to rise in the young blond woman's mind greatly.

"Well well, Lieutenant Nanaya, what brings you here? Ah! You've brought Lieutenant Vermillion with you, great work, bravo! You can go about your business now, I'll take it from here." the suave speaking man appeared to be unassuming, with one hand on the top of his head and the other waving to Makoto as to gesture her away.

"As if! I didn't bring Noel here to leave her with you!" she moved herself between Noel and Hazama, bracing herself for an inevitable fight.

Noel looked up at him, having taken in all the sight of destruction before her; by her own instincts and Makoto's response, she knew better than to go with this man, and made such very clear that she wasn't. "I'm not going anywhere with you, Yuuki Terumi."

A name that Makoto had not shared with Noel surprised the squirrel beastkin that she knew it. In fact, her surprise was such that she looked back at Noel a moment.

"How do you know that name?" Makoto asked her close friend in some haste, and Noel seemed to be unsure.

"I don't know exactly, I just remember...his name is Yuuki Terumi." Noel's response didn't make the squirrel beastkin feel any better.

In response to this, Hazama had adjusted his hat before he spoke up. He seemed to be enjoying the fact that he was playing the role pretty well. "Please, I go by Captain Hazama of the Intelligence Department now. Be sure to show the proper respect, after all you are my underling."

Makoto scoffed and held her eyes fastened upon his visage, she could not let him escape her vision. As her mind worked, she was trying to settle on a good course of action for the next move. She knew that if he was stronger than Tager that this wasn't going to go well. As she made the decision to retreat, she drew back to Noel's side and gave her friend the message. They could probably split up and meet up at the Docks.

"Quickly, Noel. Scatter! We'll meet up later!" Makoto had only just said this before she found Hazama at her back, in between herself and Noel.

The green haired man did not look amused and he sounded far less so as he spoke. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

Within less time than it took an eye to blink, the suit wearing Librarium officer kicked the beastkin woman in her midsection and sent her flying backwards into the air. As he lowered his leg, Noel had drawn back and summoned Bolverk to her hands. It was after Makoto had landed on the ground and rolled to her feet, that she witnessed Noel shooting at Hazama with no luck hitting him. Still the blond was at the ready and prepared to fire again, while she took a moment to draw one arm around Makoto's waist in order to help her stand. The pair rose together and Makoto stopped bracing her stomach, as she was now ready to fight since she was cornered.

"Noel, go quickly, I'll fight him, we can't let him catch yo-" Makoto had hoped for her to go, but her friend cut her off.

"No! We'll fight him together, I can't leave a friend to face someone like this. I'd never be able to live with myself." Noel looked to Makoto with a smile, planning to stand her ground.

"Alright, then. We'll do this together." Makoto said as she tossed off her Librarium cloak and brandished her tonfa pair, she was going to face him close range and she knew Noel would cover her.

Terumi seemed to be waiting for this to happen, especially since he knew where it was going. This was one of many possibilities he'd already witnessed, there was nothing new here. A failed duo attempt to defeat him, it was nothing that he was concerned with. He'd seen many of their partnered up duo tactics, it was nothing he couldn't deal with. Even with the little doll before him being unusual at times, he wasn't concerned with any slight changes that might come.

"Are we done chattering, little rat? I've been waiting to get on with this miserable show. After all, I think its time to rid the air of this beastkin stench." the hat wearing man grinned again, insulting his former subordinate.

He was going to play with these two, he decided that would entertain him greatly. As the first shot was let off, he'd jumped back nimbly to evade it. With his eyes watching Makoto's charge, as she threw her rapid jabs: he effortlessly dodged her assault. With his body swaying from left to right with both pre-knowledge of her movements and his natural grace. Hazama's dance-like evasion helped him to show off.

After a narrow evasion of Makoto's thrusting punch, he dodged another shot from Noel and blocked a kick casually with his forearm. After he tossed her to his right, he jumped back and evaded a set of two thrust punches from the beastkin once again, before sidestepping a follow-up punch just before he'd kick her. He wasn't familiar with the doll's actions up to this point, though it didn't seem to matter. He'd found himself on the retreat as the shots were getting more accurate. How he hated to expend any kind of effort in his actions.

"To think that you'd betray me, oh my subordinate, how you break my heart.~" his sing-song tone only made Makoto more determined.

She was getting frustrated, as even though they hadn't been fighting long, she hadn't been able to land a single hit on him. Both her and Noel were attacking expertly well, but he just dodged and evaded everything. Despite the occasional block, she couldn't believe what it was that he was doing. As she charged him again, while spotting Noel's movement; she became determined to keep both eyes on her.

"Astral Vision!" The attack name was meant to keep his attention and as she appeared to split into three versions of herself, still racing in from straight ahead of Hazama; as she launched herself forward in a very sudden rush attack, and as expected her attack was dodged completely.

Though Hazama wouldn't notice until it was too late, his side step had been somewhat exaggerated as Noel finally landed a solid blow, sweeping his heel and forcing him into a backwards stagger. While irate with the success of something that he hadn't witnessed, his eyes barely had time to register the incoming impact in his midsection. A pained grunt came from his lips as Makoto landed a solid rising punch into his stomach. The sheer force of which shot through his body, further bringing Hazama more discomfort as he raised on his toes and skidded backwards in his tracks. His eyes opened wide and narrowed on the pair while his hat fell to the ground helplessly, his hair spiked up as his Terumi personality sparked to the surface.

"You filthy little rat! Getting a little big for your running wheel huh?! Try some of this! Ouroboros!" the surprisingly calm action of him walking towards the two of them and the Nox Nyctores had focused its aim on Makoto.

The pair had barely a moment to register the movement of the deadly weapon, Makoto was hit by it and immediately, it coiled around her on mental command from Terumi.

"G-ah...!" Makoto's cry had come suddenly, half broken as the blow sent shocks of pain across her body.

There were no horrors fit to describe the pain that she felt from serpent holding her against sharp, rigid spiny ridges while it squeezed her within its bonds. Drawing more pained sounds from the now helpless beastkin, who was suddenly trying to cope with an almost literal world of pain that she was being subject to. As Terumi gestured with a hand, the coiled weapon slammed the double agent into the nearby stone wall, enough to send a wicked spider web of cracks along its surface. To Noel's horror, as she realized what was happening, she jumped to her feet.

"Let Makoto go!" her cry was a mix of horror and desperation, had gotten a small glare from Terumi.

"Damned Doll, who are you to demand anything!?" in response, Terumi once more slammed Makoto into the wall, hard enough for her to cough up a few blobs of blood.

"Stop it..! Please...stop hurting Makoto." Noel was pleading with him and got another look of scorn.

"What are you prattling on about? Your a doll, you don't feel anything! Let alone something for this stupid useless rat!" as he slammed Makoto against the wall with each insult that he'd called her, it was understandable to see Noel's desperate nature growing.

Makoto was slipping in and out of consciousness by now, unable to tell where she was, as the world seemed to turn black and white. Her body still flinched with pain from the grip she was held within, but she had no context to go on. Every time she struggled to open her eyes, the heavy force of pain hit her again. As she was doing her best to avoid being completely crushed, her heart raced with urgency and her mind screamed for her struggle to continue. She could not perish here, her precious friends needed her to continue on and she wouldn't stop no matter what!

-With Kinjou(20 minutes prior to the battle)-

After turning in his bounty, the beastkin had been following a weird sense that he had all day. The strangest feeling that something major had been going on. He hadn't been sure as to why he was so persistent with traveling all the way to the Librarium's HQ. He was headed for the Hanging Gardens, at least figuring he could take in some night views while wasting his time. The day was a pure success, so he felt that it should only end with getting better at least in part of something. The view was almost unbeatable from where he was heading, simply the most breathtaking spot in Kagutsuchi to be at any one time he found.

The feeling of battle was not a thing easy to miss, even if one wasn't attuned to combat. If the sounds above and rumbles of tremendous force weren't a giveaway, it was that lingering sensation that weighed in on the vigilante. That clash of wills that came from battle was just far too familiar for him. Between that and the fact that something frightened him, though this not a typical lack of courage; as such a thing would not make him shudder like this. The very primal nature of the feeling was a combination of honed instinct and the danger sense that all beastkin naturally possessed.

He suddenly didn't want to be here and had almost left right away. At least before he felt a tug, towards the edge of the terrace and the railing. He didn't know what, but something just screamed out to him to get over there. He'd dared to look up, because he was here. Already realizing that the very frightful aura was just overhead, some part of him still wanted to know what the threat was.

"...What?" the word had no sooner left his mouth, before he realized that he was watching something in live motion.

He got a brief look of someone dangling from overhead, being held by some kind of an odd chain, it was anything but normal and presently didn't matter. He found the person, a young woman dropped without hesitation. Without thinking about what to do, Kinjou leapt onto the terrace railing and his tail unwrapped from his waist and quickly secured itself around the railing. At this point, Kinjou was acting to save her and nothing more; he used his lengthy tail for slack and suspended himself so that he stood out against the flat of the terrace's side. As she fell, Kinjou's arms went out and his tail slackened from the root of his tail to the midsection of it, some three feet of it now allowed him to absorb some impact.

"Unf!" Kinjou's grunt came very suddenly as he felt the weight in his arms.

The combination of a falling dead weight and momentum tugged him down hard, the sudden force had taken his tail's slack quickly. As he felt the strain on his tail, he put more effort to reel himself and his fallen victim in safely. He hadn't even been able to look, as he was focusing on getting them both to safety first. Kinjou focused on footwork, and used it to firm up his steps back up the side of the terrace side. Since doing this with no hands was a lot more trouble than he'd expected, he'd managed to use one arm to cradle the near lifeless form closer to him, while he grabbed the edge with one hand.

Once he had a good grip, he used climbing skills that just came naturally and brought himself safely over the ledge, with the person he'd caught. It was only as he stood on the ledge that he gasped at who it was. It was Makoto Nanaya, the same young woman he'd run into the day prior! He remembered her for both her kind opinion of the teahouse and the fact that she was genuinely a nice person above all else. Even though he had questions, he knew that whoever did this might try to finish what they started. Before he knew who or where the enemy was, he took off in a mad sprint for the family gym.

As he left the hanging gardens in a rush, he'd heard Makoto groan in his arms and this made him frown more. With the state she was in, she needed to be treated right away. Normally he'd have gone straight to Dr. Faye-Ling's clinic, but he knew that Linhua was the only one in. He decided to turn to his mother, Sumina, since she knew how to treat wounds better than he did. It was while he thought that he was interrupted by hearing Makoto's voice.

"Kinjou...*cough* where...?" the squirrel beastkin managed the utterance before she coughed several times.

"Try not to talk, I'm taking you to Ronan Gai to treat your wounds. Just rest now, please, you are in no condition to talk or move much." Kinjou imagined that she knew that better than anyone else.

With a small nod from the resilient squirrelkin, Kinjou focused on running again. He'd been doing well so far, weaving through the crowds with a surprising ease. He made it to Ronan Gai in record time and had slowed down, since the martial arts gym, Iron Roots, was pretty close. He could hear the present class shouts from just around the corner. Wasting no time, once he entered the gym, he carried Makoto to a resting room on to the far left of the gym.

-Inside (Iron Roots Gym)-

Once inside the room, he moved to the bed that they had there and set Makoto down on it. Her wounds were not as visible as he thought, though he felt the damage while cradling her close. He felt some fractures in her arm, several broken ribs, give or take at least. He imagined that his mother would know better, which meant he'd take over the class while she came in here to tend to their new guest. Even though he had wanted to see Makoto again, these were hardly the circumstances he either hoped or imagined it might be under.

It took little time for Kinjou to convince his mother of the dire need of their guest. As a healer, Sumina Shimazu was naturally charged to do what she felt was her duty no matter what. As the daughter of Meilen Shimazu, she carried the skills of all healing methods fluently. A woman of little nonsense, devotion to her family and a stalwart spirit that would never turn away someone in need. Such was to be seen as left Kinjou to take care of the class instruction.

Sumina made her way into the room where her son had set their guest and upon entry she found the young woman awake. At first glance, she frowned at the degree of bruising and the damage as she saw it. As she took out the supplies she needed, she took to speaking to the guest. It was always best to keep the patient calm whenever tending to one.

"Hello, my name is Sumina and I'll be caring for your wounds. My son brought you here and explained that you needed care right away, I can see that you do. So I'll treat what I can see and if you can speak safely, without pain, I'd like you to tell me where it hurts." the older woman had hoped to offer some reassurance to her guest while she started first with cleaning and dressing the worst of what she saw.

It did not take long before Makoto's wounds were being cleaned and addressed to the best of Sumina's ability. She had proved to be quite capable and was able to wrap Makoto without assistance from another due to the use of her tail. She carefully lifted the young woman's shoulders when dressing the wounds there and used her tail accordingly around her waist when the situation called for it. Sumina was very careful with her at times conscious patient, by the end of the treating her; Makoto was now wrapped in many areas of her body. From what Sumina could tell, her attire was ample for fighting and her weapons indicated that she was a close-range combatant who focused on punches.

There was a lot on Sumina's mind as she had finished checking Makoto's taped ribs, she was in need of some ars healing to bolster the treatment she'd already been given. She could tell that her patient was no slouch in combat, her muscle toning spoke of practice and the fact that she trained regularly. But to see this kind of damage meant that her opponent was one of a superior skill, power, or both. Whatever could do this to her certainly would have been more than a match for even her or her mother. It had been around 25 minutes once the first treatments of healing were done, still the instructor was contemplating what kind of foe have done this; when her thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

"Ugh...I feel horrible...but that's a good sign, since I'm in one piece." Makoto's hoarse broke the quiet in the room, she had been conscious enough to speak now.

"I should say so, though you aren't in any shape to move just yet. I was able to clean your wounds and tape your ribs to realign them, but believe me when I say you should remain here." Sumina hoped that she wasn't an eager, heroic type like her son. Often they had to be restrained to keep them still, that meant more bruises for her if it happened.

Makoto grunted again and shook her head, there was no chance she was moving. Her body ached and her muscles cried out in agony as she tried to move her body a little bit. She could feel the tape and the bandages that were covering her, she'd been brought to an expert at least. There was little that she could do about her predicament, except to lay back and recover properly. As she knew her body well, it was clear that she would not be getting up unassisted anytime soon.

Still this was a fate better than death or laying wherever she was casually dropped. Though she was achy, she was still lucid in mind and was able to think despite her pain. She did want to thank who helped her, and would have to when she saw him next. She could start with her primary healer first, since she was present. Makoto adjusted her neck and felt the pain shoot through her shoulder, fortunately it was only a dull ache; she made sure that she was sitting upright somewhat and looking at Sumina.

"I want to thank you *cough* for everything, I'm glad there are nice people like you around." Makoto had been grateful for the help, and was smiling gently now.

"Think nothing of it, you're most welcome. I'm glad we were able to keep things from getting worse for you. Also, I'll be getting my mother to check you over and give you some ars healing to boost your recovery." Sumina was pleased with her condition, all things considered.

Makoto nodded gently before settling herself back into the bed. A little wriggling with her shoulders down had gotten her back to a more comfortable position in the bed. She didn't want to move, at least not if she could help it, that much was for sure. It was easy to imagine that she'd be seeing the one who carried her all the way back here, Kinjou had been his name. Only meeting him yesterday, she'd have laughed if it off hearing that she would be critically wounded the day after.

Such was a strange fate, one that she didn't understand how it could even have been. She had been careful, cautious to cover her tracks, no one knew that she was a double agent. And yet for all of her planning, the one man that she knew didn't exist as he said; turned out to be one who knew it all. While not awake for long she was trying to consider what had gone wrong and she simply didn't know. It was probably her greatest fear for what was happening to Noel right now, a question she didn't want the answer to.

She could ill afford to think of things that would weigh in on her mind negatively. All that Makoto could do for Noel was to recovery as quick as possible, this meant putting that out of her mind. She settled her head back against the pillow, adjusting it so that it wasn't strange against her ears. She felt her eyelids getting heavy and wasn't in the mood to fight sleep anymore. Her eyes closed and peace came to Makoto for the first time in the past few hours.

She hadn't needed to ask a question as she slept, her body felt like it was submerged in a relaxing warmth. As if a feeling could embrace you and give you the one thing that you lacked as an adult, a feeling of protection. As if nothing was wrong Makoto slept deep and long in the side room of the Iron Roots Dojo without an argument. Her dreams were seamless and connected, a string of images that she knew vividly while she slept but wouldn't understand as she came to awaken again.

-With Kinjou-

During the hours that his mother treated Makoto, Kinjou had finished teaching the two classes: both the one he took over and the following one. By now Iron Roots was closed for the night, it helped that the gym was connected to their home. It made things convenient for training and for keeping one occupied while waiting. It was hard to not know how Makoto was doing, even though they hadn't known each other that long. As it was despite all of that, he still felt responsible for her well being since he rescued her.

His mind wandered about the reasons she may have been in trouble for and the fact that she had been so badly hurt after the fight. Reasons that he didn't have answers to, all he had was facts about Makoto's wounds and had badly beaten she had been. Whoever it was had a better capacity for damage and in such a way that Makoto couldn't recover from. She had either been outmaneuvered by her opponent or overpowered by brute force. He had seen damage by numerous weapons of a nature and he hadn't been familiar with the kind of weapon outright.

With some thought in mind, his experience told him it was something multi-jointed, perhaps like a nine-section iron whip. It was one of the weapons of choice for the school, they had an entire section for the distance weapons of choice, so it was not unfamiliar to him. Even though the sheer size was staggering, each wound was inflicted by a big blade or clamp-styled weapon. There had been the flying iron clamp that he trained with months ago, it could have done similar damage...to some of the wounds perhaps. Though his thoughts were broken by the sound of the door opening, his mother approached him and this drew him to attention.

"Kinjou."

"Yes, mother?"

"I need you to watch Makoto as she rests, at least once my mother is done looking her over."

"Is that all? Of course, I'll make sure there are no complications throughout the night."

Sumina shook her head towards that answer, she intended for him to sleep still. Making herself clear, she reiterated what she said.

"See she's comfortable then sleep in the next room over. She may need privacy, so I wish to grant her that."

"Okay mother, I'll leave a change of clothing for her then, and check her bandages before going to sleep."

"Thank you, and I'd say the worst time has passed. She is strong enough to get through the wounds and survived to be healed. The worst is behind her."

Kinjou wasn't so sure about that and he vocalized the reason why.

"Except if the one who did this to her comes looking."

"It doesn't matter, Kinjou, if they come seeking to finish something; they shall find it isn't so easily achieved."

His mother's words were softly spoken, but the weight of the statement was strong. The Shimazu would not betray someone in their care. It was this stubbornness that had gotten Kinjou's uncle killed during the war. But it was how they lived, such were the words of any who trained as they did. It was to be the same way in death, no matter what the great beyond took them.

For a moment, the mother and son shared the common bond in the spirit of their clan. As his grandmother left the room where Makoto lay, she gave him a small nod before going on her way, Kinjou headed to attend to Makoto one last time for the evening. It was time to bring a very interesting day to a close, Sumina would check the gym's condition in the morning to see if Kinjou cleaned. Yes, it was business as usual even with their guest. Makoto was still, however, the priority of all of those in the Shimazu household.

It was a long and painful day for Makoto that had ended well, but what would tomorrow bring? She would be finding out once she awakened the very next day.

(End Chapter)

It took a bit of doing but the end of the chapter is done! The hardest thing was actually orchestrating Makoto having her fight and ending up in a place where our deuterogamist could be of use. The interactions should be easier on this side of things now, after all Makoto isn't going anywhere too fast! Looking forward to the next chapter, until then adieu.

-Quentix


	3. Chapter: A Road to Recovery

A/N: Moving to our next chapter, we move onto Makoto's recovery in the home of the Shimazu Clan, she is treated to the hospitality of the Ikarugan family who hope to see her recovery to a complete level. The time will be jumping around, as this is now a day to day recounting of Makoto's road to recovery, but different periods as she grows closer to the family who is taking good care of her. While she hopes to repay the debt, we see how she learns more about those she is living with and whatever speckled past that follows in the shadows of each family member.

Onward to the chapter!

(End A/N)

–

Chapter II: Road to recovery

Makoto's first week of recovery was one that full of long days of rest in bed, even though she was constantly kept company so that she wouldn't be bored; she was given space for alone time and to establish what independence that she could manage with the extent of her severe wounds. A routine was established where Makoto would get help from one of the two women of the Shimazu, both of which she'd come to know as both Meilen and Sumina. Both were matriarchs in their own right, but Meilen lead the family affairs and Sumina the gym. Certainly there were things that she could not put to words, while it was awkward for her to have anyone helping her dress; it felt less bad with those who were looking after her. They had even bought her clothing, that she had been taken out to get in the local markets, it was certainly one thing to her favor to have lucked out this way.

She was having more of a quick recovery than she'd estimated for herself at first, due to the exceptional treatment of her wounds. They were inspected regularly, twice a day for the first few days: with regular changing of bandages and applications of various ointments used by either Sumina or Meilen. Kinjou was also there for company, often bringing her meals and just discussing things that he'd heard from outside. He had told her about the events that unfolded at the Headquarters for the Librarium, even though none of it was very clear towards an outcome. When alone, she'd established a connection with Professor Kokonoe and updated her on the events around her and the status of her condition.

Presently she was laying low and trying to recover from wounds sustained by Captain Hazama. Things were in a rough place, as Kokonoe explained to her the situation: presently Ragna the Bloodedge was without an arm, Noel Vermillion had been smelted but was restored by Ragna's action, the Imperator had taken action and proclaimed the world's end. Sure things were pretty bad, but overall there was the ray of hope in the odd form of Ragna the Bloodedge. The situation was surprisingly good given everything had gone awry, for the lack of a better term.

Today was a day to put some ease on her mind, Noel was herself presently with Professor Kokonoe, being treated and checked out. After all that happened to her had been hellish, Makoto felt bad for being unable to protect her friend and towards being the source of some of Noel's strife did bother her quite a bit. But there was nothing that she could do about that, it was an unfortunate thing, but something that she could make up later with time. It made her only more determined to recover from her wounds and quickly as possible. She figured that relaxing was to be the best method of doing this, and with the knowledge that she wasn't going to have to worry about Noel's safety, she could get on fine and focus on herself.

She considered what might be relevant to her curiosity, since Makoto was absolutely rambunctious when it came to solving boredom. The thought came aloud and wasn't that big a surprise, "Well I don't know much about the Shimazu Clan. They are nice enough to do all this, no strings attached, I already figured that out. But there's a lot of history here." it wasn't just figuratively or literally, more like a good mix of both.

She could see that weights were carried by both ladies of the Shimazu Clan, and that little bit of something that she sensed made her want to know more. She intended to ask the family and get some answers on whatever they would share. The brunette squirrel was glad to hear the door opening, it shook her from her thoughts and it would start her off on operation: learn about the Shimazu Clan. To her delight, it was Kinjou of all the people, this was a nice treat since he was around her age and seemed to be more loose in subjects to talk on. It wasn't saying that she hadn't liked the chance to speak with Sumina or Meilen, on the contrary, chatting with them both was soothing and nice.

"Good Morning, Makoto. I've brought you some tea and something of a pair of scones, I hope you slept well. Are you decent?" Kinjou would say this as he knocked on the door. Making sure that he wouldn't enter when she might not be fully covered.

"You're fine, come on in." Makoto said nonchalantly, given she was still wearing the Kimono given to her by Sumina and was covered from the stomach up by the blanket she'd been using.

As he brought the tea in, along with a raspberry scone and blueberry scone. They were complimentary from from his father at the Pale Lotus, something to help keep Makoto in high spirits. As he brought the tray to her and set it lightly across her lap, he saw her face light up. The kind of breakfast in bed could always be great for raising a mood. Already perky since having a good rest, as good as the news got from the Professor, and this just made it all but perfect for her.

"You guys are just the best, you know that? I mean, such a sweet family, all of you are just so kind. This breakfast in bed, looking after my wounds, you guys don't really owe it to me." saying this with a soft smile, Makoto was pleased with it at this point.

"Such as it is, just comes with the turf you might say." he'd smiled in turn.

While she ate one of the scones, she'd looked upon Kinjou's features to see if anything really changed. He was placid and seemed to be pleased with the fact that she was in such a good mood. Yeah that just kind of confirmed it for her, even though the atmosphere in the home was relaxed, something seemed off to her. She couldn't put her finger on it about what was, but she knew the look of someone who had come to terms with something. With this in mind, Makoto broached the topic with Kinjou.

"So Kinjou, how is it living in Ronan Gai? I can't imagine everything's peach blossoms and roses, even if things are pretty decent. I can tell you from personal experience, it isn't fun being singled out for our obvious differences with most people." she did say it carefully, not wanting to come off as bitter as she could be at times when thinking about it.

"It's alright, for the most part. It'd be a lie if I said nothing troubled me from time to time. Prejudice cannot hide, but in Kagutsuchi there is space to gain respect. Dealing with the ignorance by bearing it, that's how we Shimazu deal with it." Kinjou told the truth, and his tone did reveal a layer of distaste, even though one that he controlled.

Makoto knew from that statement hit home on a subject that she herself stood to respect: someone being able to tough out such a difficult time. But she didn't linger on her own thought, as she chose to comment in turn.

"Dealing with it is hard, Kinjou. I don't mean to prod really, but I can tell that it seems to bother you quite a bit more than you let on. If you don't mind...can I ask, just how it disturbs you?" Makoto was quite curious and certainly, it was potentially rude to ask a deep question. But as she felt that she knew the family somewhat now, it was where her comfort zone had grown a little bit since in their presence.

For a moment he was quiet, reminded of just how often this burden of his remained. It was ever a constant reminder of the loss he suffered when just a child. He was very close to his uncle and it was during the Ikaruga Civil War that his uncle and grandfather had both gone to defend the Imperator and Ikagura's bid for independence; only to never returned. While he'd only ever known that his grandfather was a strong man and the head of the Shimazu at the time of the war, he hadn't known him well. He had known his father's younger brother who had a promising career as a warrior, and had been very kind to a young Kinjou.

It had been on the day that his grandmother told him that they were leaving their old home, that he asked where had his Uncle Hagane had been, it was the same day he'd learned of death. At first it had been difficult to accept, how had his uncle lost a fight? He'd seen his uncle and father spar consistently and were near even all the time. It was hard for a child to grasp that there were simply stronger people, and even further that a war was where lots of people fought and died. The transition had been horrible for him, since he grew to desperately hate the humans around him after moving to Kagutsuchi at first.

"Hey...Kinjou, you alright?" Makoto watched as he went from coherent to distant in the eyes. If she had to guess, he had been remembering something and intensely.

"I'm fine...ahem, just fine." Kinjou took a moment to rub his head and then sighed gently, knowing that he intended to answer Makoto's question. The fact that he hadn't known her well, didn't matter, as it was more that sharing the burden would make it easier for him. He'd learned this from sharing it with his parents and grandmother first.

He had come to trust in Makoto, despite the relatively short time while assisting in her recovery. Perhaps it was only natural for him to bond with the person he looked after, she had been nothing but an open and positive influence on him. If she could so easily put him in a better mood by just talking to him, she had been great company, and this only helped him trust her more. After centering himself, he focused on telling her what was on his mind and how he reflected on humans.

"I was reminiscing on the first reason I have for my distaste of humans at times. I lost both my grandfather and uncle to the Ikaruga Civil War. While I was grieving, there was simply...no sympathy from those in Kagutsuchi for any refugees fleeing the war. We were seen as smelly animals by most inhabitants who bothered talking to us. Of course, not everyone was so crude, and the people of Ikaruga had always been accepting of us. We banded together during those times and simply lived with what we faced. My disgust of the human actions grew almost tenfold throughout my adolescence."

Makoto couldn't help but grimace as she knew what it was like to be held in scorn, insulted for just being what you were, not accepted for the very same reasons. They had a lot more in common than she thought they might. Even though she maintained a lid on her negative emotions, the strength that they held went beyond words at times. Since she felt her heart darken at times, whenever she found herself stressing over it, she couldn't help but toil in that hatred. It had only become manageable when she was accepted by her closest friends: Noel, Tsubaki, and to a lesser point Jin as well.

Those people in her life who had earned her loyalty and with whom she would fight for no matter what came before her. As she listened to Kinjou's explanation of how he grew and coped with being hated virtually alone, she couldn't help but feel a pity for him in one aspect. Though she had grown to admire his strength of spirit and sense of self, since he responded to the hatred by performs acts of charity and helping the unfortunate. It was not something that she thought she could easily do, helping people while being mocked and hated for what he was over time. He persevered through the hate, even though it lingered and was carried as a constant reminder of what people thought of him.

Listening to the story of his fallen family, the injustices of so many people picking on him at various times throughout life only served as a statement towards his capacity for tolerance.

"You really are a strong willed guy, Kinjou. But even more, I think you should be pleased with your ability...you really do handle your anger better than most people I know." she hoped that he took these as compliments, as they were facts that stood out well.

Hearing that much from her at least made him happy in part, he wasn't going to complain about her kind statement towards his stoic nature. It was kind of nice to hear that someone thought it wasn't avoiding the problem itself. He almost felt like it had been, since he was always coming back to the thought itself.

"I think I needed to hear that from someone else that wasn't my family for it to ring true to me. Thanks Makoto." it was drew, since he felt there was a bias with his family it wasn't quite so bad at least with the way that he could consider it, especially during the times like now.

Makoto gave a light nod and offered a little grin, "Ha I could've used something like that as a skill when I was a kid. I don't like to bring it up, but I really had a crappy childhood. I had friends, but there were just more...hateful people and for little to no reason. It was a real downer for someone trying to stay upbeat if you know what I mean. Eh, perhaps it's better if I share."

As she decided to share a little of her misfortune growing up as she did, though she had support from family. The Nanaya family was very tight knit, it made coping easier on Makoto, though being poor never helped. She tried to remain a positive beacon of hope in her family, cheering on her younger siblings as they too faced the adversity that she had. It was only when she made it to the academy that she had a decidedly easier time dealing with all that she had. It was her athletic ability that she excelled at, her martial skills grew through the academy classes and personal training that she underwent.

Makoto couldn't help but sound so endearing about her friends, those people who helped her believe in the positive side of humanity. She shared funny tales of her adventures in the Academy, her friends: Carl, Noel, Tsubaki, Jin, Mai, Cajun, and so many others that she'd made during that time. She felt a bit of nostalgia and did wonder how many of them were doing during this time. Kinjou watched her beam with such happiness and he couldn't help but feel happy for her, she had a wonderful array of friends to help keep her strong through it all. He personally had few friends in his life, he knew the comfort of having a few people to help him with various burdens.

"It stands to say that you've had a great experience as you got older, really that's a difficult road to walk, Makoto. It's amazing that you got through it all, for the sake of yourself and your friends. Id almost consider that to be miracle, if not for your own strong spirit, instead I realize its because you could do not less, as failure is not an option for you." Kinjou spoke as if he knew this to be a fact, though it was rather a sign of her strong spirit and how it resonated with him.

She couldn't help but laugh and gently shook her head at that, blushing a little bit at the compliment. But she didn't deny that it was nice to have someone say that about her, that wasn't a friend. In this case, a new friend who had saved her from falling to her potential death at great risk to himself. It was a nice and selfless act, plus being looked after for free wasn't a bad thing either. Makoto had wanted to do something to repay the kindness of the Shimazu, but after being reassured that she needn't do such a thing, it made her relax a bit. She could've done a lot worse to have a knightly type come to her aid, or would it be a samurai given his background?

Not paying any mind to her musing thought, Makoto seemed sure that she wanted to see what he was capable of in combat. A friendly spar was in order after she healed, she'd be in need of getting back into fighting condition anyway, recovery could be very difficult if executed poorly. She decided to announce it aloud, since it was more her style, "I'm looking forward to sparring with you when I'm better you know. If I can't help you guys out, I can show my thanks with a hearty punch or three. I won't disappoint, I'm pretty good, y'know!"

Her energy was one of those things that Kinjou could appreciate, the fact that she was in such a positive only made him feel better about accepting that proposal. He pumped his fist forward a few times and gave her a grin, "You got it, Makoto. We'll make our match one of the finest the Iron Roots Gym has ever seen! I won't go easy on you, since you would only be insulted by that."

"Damn straight, Kinjou. That's a good attitude to have, I'm looking forward to seeing what you've got. You seem competent, but I'll have to see that when we are actually sparring." the prospect of it was something for her to look up to. She intended to try and keep limber, though slowly when it came to range of motion.

Makoto knew from simple experience that she would not overdo her attempts to get better, stretching was good when one had the capacity for it. She would not push it too hard since she knew that she'd regret it otherwise, her body would only become stressed and the pain would be worse, slowing her recovery. Still it made her all the more eager to be finished with recovery, though until she figured learning more about her future sparring buddy wouldn't be a bad idea. Kinjou was nice enough sure, but that told her little about who the man was behind the kind front she saw. He'd shared some of his backstory with her and she'd done the same, it had been a pleasant exchange thus far, but now what to ask was the question? Then a good thought hit her mind, she asked about it straight away.

"So Kinjou, tell me a little bit about your family's style. I've seen some of the classes in action, some people appear to be learning a very intensive form of self defense. It's an impressive sight, really." Makoto was curious about the fighting style, as it wasn't like there were so many schools active in the modern day. Most people would've have a need for that kind of thing most times.

"You really think so? We do our best really, its a fairly well rounded form with an emphasis on footwork, firm stances, and fast changing legwork. We depend on the footwork and posture to setup moments for proper execution of attacks. At the moment I'm an instructor, but I'm nowhere near my mother, father, or grandmother's level of skill." Kinjou explained a bit of how the style's basics works.

Visualizing was one of Makoto's specialties, even though it wasn't one she used often. Usually her opponents were in front of her and were in motion, with her responding right on point. There was a passion to instinct, a high that was unlike any other and that was something that she thoroughly embraced: there was that other skill that her father always talked about. As she picked up the athletic skills naturally and learned her battle training from her father, he'd taught her all about the combat zen and sacred skill of meditation. Yeah well perhaps it wasn't that sacred, but the insight she could feel at times from the extra time spent considering smaller things both before and after a battle had proven themselves to her ages ago.

"You shouldn't underestimate yourself, for one, I can tell by your posture that you can handle yourself. It's one of the reasons why I'm so excited to recover faster, and if anything, our talks keep it from being too boring around here." that was of course just a factor of being in bed most of the time. She could only recently get up and walk around with some major effort.

"Well I'm glad you think so highly of me and that I've been keeping you from boredom, honestly laying around must be one of the worst things to someone so active." Kinjou only imagined that Makoto must have found it desperately dull to be laid up for as long as she had so far.

"You have nooo idea how thankful I am to have someone my age to talk with. Your family is wonderful, don't get me wrong, but they make me feel like I'm not a good guest, being so kind and attentive. I'm just not so used to it...its the most welcome I've felt in Kagutsuchi, so all I can say is thank you. For everything you've done and likely will continue to do as I recover." Makoto was all kinds of jubilant right now.

Her mood was at a new high, just given that she was in such good hands with the Shimazu Clan, Noellers was okay, the Professor had given her the time to recover from her wounds and simply asked for updates. It was this and now having a reason to start stretching and practicing what she could safely for a future sparring match: that just made this all the better. As she saw Kinjou rise, she imagined that it was time for him to go.

"Gotta go?"

"Unless there is anything else I can get you, it would be good that I attended to cleaning the gym. I'll be back to check on you in another half hour otherwise."

"Well, if that's the case, then I hope the clean up goes well."

"I'm sure it will, it was a pleasure talking to you, Makoto."

"Likewise, see ya in a bit, Kinjou."

It didn't take very much for the scenario to change, as time came and went, the rest of the day passed pretty quickly. It didn't lead to much of the evening having passed away with ease. On and off, it was a cycle through Kinjou and his mother for the night. It was a few days that would pass in some ease, seemingly passed on without incident. Just another several days for the Squirrel beastkin to recover that much quicker. Her bandages once more by the day, as opposed to by the hours was a much better sign than Meilen initially thought.

It was no longer than the following week that Makoto was up on her own, though she still had use of only one arm, the second one was movable and at the very least the joint was hurting less. Her shoulder and elbow of her right arm were the things still most damaged from her incident. She had a slight limp in her left leg, and though there was pain in her ankle and knee, she was starting to tough it out. To Makoto's pleasure, she was allowed to sit in on class lessons and follow along if she wished, free to come and go from the house/gym as she saw fit. She was beginning to see the charm of living in Ronan-Gai, it was a nice location and all of the people were very friendly.

As she found out for herself, getting some free tea, nice smelling incense, and even some Takoyaki which she was presently eating at the moment. Walking down the main thoroughfare with a big smile on her face, wearing a full length kimono and Hakama pants that were perfect for her. It did help living with fellow beastkin who had rather large tails of their own. She'd almost doubted that they were so long at first, until Kinjou showed her his tail's length. Beyond that, had she not known that they used their tails for specific martial drills, she might've questioned why they were always wrapped around their waist so many times.

While her tail was bushy and strong, it was no where near the incredible length of the Shimazu tails, which all varied. She tried not to think too much about it, the only thing that she considered was the length and strength of the tail being an issue for her during the spar. She was thinking a bit about that and found herself looking up to it more. She didn't fight other kin very often, let alone one who used such a school of martial arts like this. Makoto herself favored punches, with the occasional sweep from her leg, or swipe with her tail. A bit of rapid mix up generally ended her battles quickly, on occasion would she put her spirit into a punch.

As she walked back towards the gym, she spotted some thug looking guys and frowned, they were harassing someone a lady at a stand. She wasn't in shape for a confrontation, but it wasn't going to stop her from doing what was right.

 _'Do we really need to do this on a nice day like this? Guh! Stupid thugs can't even let things go, always trying to cheat someone.'_

While it didn't involve her, she was about to make it her business. As she started to approach the group, the first of the four men turned to her and laughed.

"Hey boys look, a squirrel gal who wants to keep us company!" the would-be leader of this group approached Makoto and started reaching for Makoto's visible bust, through her kimono.

"Come to flaunt it sweet-arggh!" the young man's hand was grabbed and wrenched to his right.

"Only going to ask once guys, I really don't want to hurt you, just leave the lady alone and stop harassing her alright? It's a beautiful day, let's not ruin-" her words were cut short as the second man slipped behind her and tried to restrain her.

Her right elbow slammed into the man's ribs and her right foot swept him off of his feet quickly. While she turned back to the man, who's wrist she was still twisting, groaning more, she was glad to be ahead despite her condition. Her eyes flickered to her left, where the last two men were charging her. While thinking in an instant, she tugged the leader up in front of her and let him get tackled by the two men, while she let his wrist go. Makoto looked to the woman, who while looking jostled, was otherwise alright.

She really hadn't wanted a fight, but there was no way she'd let the opportunity pass to end it quick. Though as she took another step towards the last man, who'd drawn a knife; a shinobi announced himself from above.

"Hold it right there, criminal scum! Attacking this poor woman at a stand is one thing, but attacking the injured is something that I simply cannot forgive!" As Bang finished this sentence, he'd landed rather heroically in front of the stand, behind the remaining man who stood and his comrades who were down.

"Oh crap...that damned ninja, again. Let's split-" as the man said it, he was jabbed in his ribs by Bang, who was deceptively fast and had intercepted him before he could get far.

"Oh no, you are all going into the local office of the Librarium, it is high time you paid for your crimes!" Bang had no intentions of letting them off with a warning like last time.

The men were gathered in a pile and were bound up together and were waiting to be marched off by Bang. Though he first wished to thank the Squirrel-kin for her kindness, as that took guts in her shape.

"Before I take these criminals in, I wanted to thank you, young lady. That was a fine thing you did, coming to the aid of a fellow citizen that way. As not just I appreciate it, but all of Ikaruga appreciates your due diligence. I cannot thank you enough." Bang praised her actions, since it was truly a kind act and he thought it worth at the very least, a thank you.

"It's the least I could do, I mean even though I'm a little hurt, I couldn't allow them to keep that up. So it was my pleasure, I'm just glad it ended well." Makoto knew of the consequences, but hadn't feared it enough not to act.

"It was a wonderful show of valor, I won't forget your kind deed! Until the next time, Bang Shishigami will now bare witness to these fiends serving penance for their misdeeds!" Bang said this as he turned to march the men off.

Even though Makoto found him to be an odd one, he had a good heart and that was mostly mattered. Still after all that praise, she hadn't noticed the eyes on her from those nearby. The other people who helped Bang tie up the thugs, those who had missed the initial distress that Makoto responded to. There was a small amount of applause from the simple gesture (as far as she was concerned) of kindness. She rubbed her head with her good hand and seemed gracious to those around her, she couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed even in a small way.

"It was nothing, really. I couldn't just let it happen."

Makoto's words were met with a small gift from the lady who's stand she saved from being destroyed. An offer of some goods: some candied foods and other sweets, which she graciously accepted from the woman with a deep nod to her.

"I gratefully accept your gift, thank you!"

"Thank you, young miss."

Makoto smiled at the woman and then went about her way again, heading off towards the Iron Roots Gym once again. She had a little skip in her step due to all of the nice, free things that she was given by the people for various reasons. It was mostly just the kindness that gave her a good feeling, it was something that she found hard to believe. That anyone could be so community oriented in Kagutsuchi, though she was in this wonderful, pleasant surprise. As she returned with her goods in a bag being carried by her good left, she headed inside and giggle unceremoniously to herself.

She was not expecting it to be such an exciting day, even though it had been a pain in the butt with those guys. She was just glad that she hadn't agitated any of her wounds too badly, the arm was a little itchy now though due to the movements in response to the attacks from the men. Though she couldn't help but feel a little intimidated as she came across Kinjou's grandmother. As sweet as she'd been, there was a sternness that made you not want to disobey even a request from her. It was like having her own grandmother beyond her family, as Meilen gestured for her to have a seat on the side bench.

Makoto nodded gently and had a seat and looked up curiously at her for the reason she was sitting here. Just as she was about to ask what it was about, Meilen spoke up.

"Sorry to trouble you Makoto, I had a question to ask you: it was about your inner strength. It's one thing that my and my daughter agree upon, that your strength of spirit is unlike anything we've ever seen. Beyond any of our students, perhaps greater than my own. The question is, would you perhaps like lessons to improve your control?" Meilen posed this idea, since she hoped that Makoto might be interested in that aspect.

Makoto took a moment and had been happy to see that a concept she was vaguely aware of (and made use of, when her spirit was really a tempest), it made her consider what that might be like. She hadn't seen the family use it, but Kinjou told her about what they focused on, and Meilen's word only confirmed that. Could they be so proficient in control over the inner energy? Ki or Chi...she'd heard both concepts and was vaguely aware of what they were, life force focused into active applications. While she might not stay here long enough to learn the art thoroughly, she figured that using the pointers and what she did learn would help her.

"If it is possible, I'd like to learn what I can. Though I don't have as much time beyond my recovery, merely because we're on a tight schedule. That won't be a problem will it?" Makoto didn't go into details, but she did explain that she didn't have a lot of time.

Meilen offered her a small nod and responded verbally afterwards, "We can instill the school mantra concerning the spirit within that time. I'd estimate you'll be at full recovery within two weeks, but you'll need another two weeks to train yourself to fighting shape: if that is your goal at least."

That sounded about right, Makoto wasn't going to be of use to anyone without being in fighting shape, and being bed ridden this long had drained her somewhat of ability.

"Alright 4 weeks give or take in estimation? I'll focus as much as I can within that time."

"That's all we ever ask of our students, Makoto. Your instruction will begin as soon as you're ready."

"I'm ready, now!" she said eagerly, though her stomach let off a grumble, alerting her to the hunger she'd forgotten about. "Eh heh..." she shyly rubbed the back of her head a moment later.

It was enough that the Shimazu matriarch laughed a little and gestured with her hand to the left for Makoto to follow her.

"Fortunately, it's time for a slightly late lunch, we were off off schedule a bit today, it's rather funny how. As much as it had become a rule of thumb to move onto the next apparent task, but so much was done already...so we simply moved onto the next. Eventually, being too focused on cleaning has gotten us ahead of our tasks for the day, but at the cost of a late lunch you see." Meilen felt as if she were rambling, as this was nothing but a small little tale of the silliness the clan got up to.

But instead of a bored look, Makoto let herself laugh at it. In truth it was a bit relieving to see that those who saved her were not all serious business as they seemed. Deep and philosophical types were cool in their way, but it was good to see that the Shimazu Clan could also relax. As she followed her host closely, she'd let off a soft sigh as she was brought to the dining area. As she sat down next to Kinjou, finding a comfortable means of sitting on the cushion, since her other leg wasn't doing so well. While she settled in for a meal, her mind couldn't help but be excited at the prospect of being taught how to control something that she had lots of.

' _The saying goes about the power being within, I am going to master this strength. As I've always been able to tap into it when I need it most...maybe I can learn to do more with it.'_

While she began to eat, Makoto tried some of that visualizing that she used earlier day in and out when bored, she'd need some imagination with the use of such a power like this. She knew it from experience that it took a lot to shape the energy into a useful skill: her spirit given greater use, that would let her help her friends even more. That was a dream that was going to become reality if she had anything to say about it.

(End Chapter)

And here we have the end of chapter II, it took longer than I intended at first, but as the expansion on content grew, it made more sense to me. I found that writing this all out allowed me to make some better decisions on my future plans. Makoto's adventure will continue, with the only thing really growing will be everyone's favorite squirrel-kin's ability to wield her spiritual power. It is something that I've always felt she deserved a bit of growth in. With such a strong soul/spirit, there's no way that she wouldn't grow on her basic ability and control. The intent here is to explore this with a bit of expertise from the Shimazu to help her learn faster. Let's take this journey together!

Until the next chapter, I bid you adieu.

-Quentix


	4. Chapter: Tutelage of a Master

A/N: And we come across the next chapter in Makoto's walkway of life, as she continues to recover, she decides to take her next option as she recovers more strength each day. This decision of hers leads her straight to the subject of learning from someone she has come to admire in terms of skill, together we will visit in this upcoming story piece, let's find out together what direction this will lead our heroine and the family who is helping her recover!

(End A/N)

–

Chapter III: Tutelage of a Master

Makoto's recovery had been as positive as it could be over the next two weeks, as predicted by Meilen, she had recovered from her wounds all but completely. It was just a few achy body parts that she was working with, but having both arms active again felt good. Even though she had some serious strength training to do in order to even out, she decided that she was going to ask for instruction from the Shimazu. They certainly had a way with martial arts and even if she wasn't going to fully subscribe to the martial arts that they were teaching, she hoped that one of them might be willing to let her learn from them about their way of manipulation of the spiritual energy that apparently was welling within her.

Part of the reason why she felt that she lost so easily to Hazama was because she didn't have all of her powers at the ready at that time. She still lamented that she'd been only a victim and a hostage to be used against Noel before she blacked out. If not for the kindness of strangers, she would not have recovered so quickly or be as able for action as she seemed to be right now and that was not something she took lightly. Makoto felt that she owed the Shimazu family quite a lot, even though they insisted on her recovery being payment enough. The way that she decided to pay them back was through some physical labor and living well as they'd asked her to.

It seemed to be an investment of care that she would never be able to pay back, but she would never forget it. All that she would do now was take better care and as she took a walk along the garden area of the Shimazu home, hoping to find Kinjou's grandmother. As Makoto felt some pretty serious excitement as she considered the best way for her to get back into her shape beyond exercise was to ensure that her sights were set high. She happened upon some good fortune, as she entered the courtyard and found Meilen with Kinjou, the two were practicing the martial forms of Taeken's Iron Foot otherwise called Taeken's kick. It was always a spectacle for her to witness, watching the balance and the fluidity of motion, if anything it was a certain thing that she respected beyond simple words.

"Ah...Makoto, good to see you up and about, can I do anything for you?" this question coming from Meilen, who had sensed her presence the moment she entered the courtyard.

"Oh uh, sorry! Didn't mean to disturb you there! Though yes, I had a request of you specifically, Meilen." Makoto quickly apologized and then mentioned the fact she had a request.

"It's no issue, you're still our guest after all. What is it that I can do for you?" Meilen's question came about, as she was ready to hear what Makoto wished to ask her.

"I want to train under you...I want to learn more about my spirit, the power that I have within. I've seen that your style seems fluent in this and though I've some skills, they aren't nearly as sharp as I want them to be!" she energetically spoke of what she hoped to attain one day, she knew that she could count on the heart and soul of learning, as long as Meilen accepted her as a student.

For a moment the elder considered the request and looked over Makoto in a discerning manner as she let her hands rest down at her sides. After walking a half circle around the young squirrel beastkin, the matronly kinkajou decided on a good question to ask of her.

"Your spirit is undeniably the strongest I've ever felt, amongst people or family, so my next question is most crucial. Why do you seek this power's mastery? And try not to answer to quickly, as I seek the motive and not merely an outcome or goal. Person reasons are your own, noble or otherwise, but within there is always a true motive as to why and that is what I hope you can share." Meilen left it at that and had awaited Makoto's response.

Makoto did stop to think, what was her motivation? She did want to protect her friends, to fight for what she wished to, but those were personal goals. The reasoning wasn't that hard for her, some part of her feared not being able to control everything at her disposal for whatever she might need with it. After shutting her eyes for a moment, she envisioned the reason as she let off a breath. It took her only a moment, the reason that she was after was right in front of her.

"My reason is that I desire to explore my pinnacle. There's a reason I have all of this strength, and some part of me wonders what I'm really made of, that's really it." there was no big reason, no huge reveal for her.

"Well said, Makoto. There are more than a half dozen causes or reasons that a person can act, but to know the self is a life long pursuit." Meilen would know from the fact that even she was still searching for herself, through these past years.

"Then as you wish to learn, come. We're going to get you started on your first lesson right away, just know that I am not an easy instructor." a degree of sternness could be heard in her tone.

None of this through Makoto off at all, in fact she was almost bouncing by the time they go to the courtyard. Though she ceased once Meilen stopped in her tracks, probably about 20 feet from her grandson who was performing a kata. Once the pair were in the courtyard Meilen gestured for Makoto to sit on the ground, and showed her by kneeling on a small mat that had been by some burning incense. Seeing the gesture, Makoto caught on and quickly knelt in front of her new instructor and looked on eagerly, awaiting any instruction about what she was to do here.

"I'd like you to try meditation first, as I am aware of your immense physical abilities. I've seen the strength of your punches as you try to recover your strength, so we will approach honing your spiritual sense. I'd like you to close your eyes and just feel out my aura, focus on the surging and try to visualize it." Meilen imagined that she was more than capable of sensing, but how well she could judge an opponent from this sense.

"Got it." Makoto said this as she shut her eyes softly and awakened that sense of hers, letting off a soft breath and tapping into spiritual sense of hers.

As the squirrel-kin closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, she went about the general regard of calming her mind down and focused on her heartbeat. It was pretty simple to recall basic meditation and the art of putting oneself into a time and period of restful need. That was the idea after all right here, she focused on it and continued after her mind had reached that beginning of what she'd call a zen-like 'buzz' of sorts for the mind. She felt the sensation of energy washing over her, there was no other real way to call it: she could feel the tempered energy before her that she knew to be Meilen. This feeling only became more prevalent as she honed in its unique feel.

"Wow...is this it? This feeling?" Makoto was growing used to the strange hum that she could feel, rather than hear. The vibrations were gentle and almost felt like a breeze.

"This is the feeling of sensing someone, on a rudimentary level, I'm pleased that you got it so easily." Meilen was really impressed that simple focusing helped her out this much. She knew that her student's potential was high, and this only cemented that fact.

"Thank you." Makoto had given off a small sigh, it did feel nice to have someone compliment her of this way.

Still the practicing went on for several more minutes with Makoto being instructed to enhance her sensory through different suggestions. It was a mild success given that this was the squirrel-kin having her first time to get the hang of it. Still it was more natural for her than she thought, it came to Makoto as easy as deep breathing. She managed enough to impress Meilen and the instructor took to the next plan, which was to see where Makoto was at control of her strength. The idea of how much of her strength was at her actual control did have the matron a little curious.

By this time, Kinjou was done with his morning kata practicing and Meilen gestured for him to come over to her and Makoto. Once her grandson came over, Meilen gave off a little smile and spoke of her plans.

"Good, now that you're done Kinjou, you and Makoto can have an spar a little bit. I need to gauge your practice of our form anyways, Kinjou. We'll see where Makoto is along at controlling her strength, something I can sense she has in great abundance." Meilen gestured for them to follow her from the courtyard.

As Kinjou fell in line behind his grandmother and next to Makoto, he spoke softly to her about her success back there.

"I gotta say, that was great that you managed the sensory exercise so easily." the compliment was very simple, but hit the point simply.

"Thanks Kinjou, and I've been dying for the chance to spar with you. Honestly, since you declared that I'd be a great sparring partner, I've been wanting to prove it!" Makoto pumped her fist in the air above her, she had been looking for the chance to show him.

"You'll get that chance, I will come at you with everything that I have." Kinjou meant it too, since by her enthusiasm and musculature were clearly in view in the work out gi that she was wearing; he knew that she had regained some of her former strength and she had been practicing a lot.

The two were guided to the dojo main floor, where Meilen had set out a mat, one that had some limited space, it was a 40 by 40 ft. mat that had limits for a purpose. As the matron took to explaining the rules of the exercise, it would become clear for the pair: who now focused on Meilen's presence entirely.

"What I am asking of you is simple: Spar and control your strength. Do not knock your sparring partner off that mat, otherwise you fail. The idea is not to hit softly, but certainly not to strike with too much velocity either. Pinpoint control is important for maintaining control over one's personal power: both spiritual and physical, its what I am hoping this will help you with Makoto. And this routine exercise will force Kinjou to sharpen one of his weakest areas." the explanation now given, her hand gestured for them to get to it.

With the two of them on the mat, Makoto stretched out her arms and kicked her feet out, though she'd been active since this morning she was making sure everything was ready for some serious movements. Excitement running through her head, as she watched Kinjou performing a few quick stretches of his own, she felt it inside that this was going to be a great match. The mood was light despite the spar about the happen, it was the kind of jovial situation that the squirrel-kin missed most from the academy days. A place where she could let loose without fear of actually having to hurt someone too badly, that was exactly what she felt here. All she felt now was a want to hop into action, though as she took stance she bounced a little back and forth; quickly finding her rhythm.

Kinjou stood opposite her on the mat and held a steadier stance, by comparison to Makoto, though his feet and ankles seemed ready to move; once he settled in for the spar he extended a smile and asked her the question both were awaiting the other to ask.

"You ready, Makoto?"

"Ready when you are, Kinjou!"

The two gave the signal and Meilen was the one who broke the silence for the pair. "Go!" as soon as she said it, Makoto started first and moved in on Kinjou.

While she watched Kinjou meet her halfway, she made the first move and threw a right fist outward, releasing the blow from her hip without a wind up. The punch was met by Kinjou's left heel as he brought his foot up and she could feel the impact of the blow. Naturally she was not using full force, just what she considered a 'bit' of her usual involved for combat and her friend had no issue meeting it. This meant that she could fight at this intensity without giving him serious harm, which was definitely a big bonus for her since she often had to control more of her strength when sparring with others. Once Kinjou's heel pushed her fist down, she ducked under the quick kick and tucked her shoulders and fists up to help nudge her kick past her body with no damage from the attempted strike.

As she attempted a left jab up towards Kinjou's center, she found that he stepped to the right of her punch and brought his leg back inward and had blocked the jab with his shin. The impact did make the

kinkajou flinch briefly, though he adjusted his leg's position and wrapped his foot and part of his leg around Makoto's arm, before tugging to the right. The move forced Makoto forward, as she felt the ease with how he moved her and this opened her up on left side, before she watched Kinjou's foot release her forearm with ease of a practiced skill. While she brought her left arm back down to guard her side, she felt a quick kick placed into her side with a snap-like motion that made him jump back. It was definitely a surprise to her at the speed of his kicks, but it only made her smile graciously.

The pair didn't need any words between them to see that the match was going to be a fun one, and it would give both a good opportunity for skills to increase. But the impact were going to be high from the outcome of this spar: Makoto adapted to the speed of kicks quickly. It was by her third pass with Kinjou, she was blocking a barrage of fast kicks all from his right leg, while his footwork was swift, she could see the weakness in his form. Makoto knew if she could force his leg back to the ground, then she could get in on his guard and attack him easier. This wasn't that difficult for her to see, in battle Makoto was quick to wits and knew what she needed to do to crush the guard of her opponent.

Kinjou looked at Makoto as he watched her come in again, he knew that he was going to have to work fast in order to counter her quick attacks. Though he had only enough time to bring his left foot up to hook around her right fist as she moved in to slug his right side. During the maneuver, he found himself having to adjust for her attempting to draw her arm back from the quick lock up that he'd used on her. Using his position and the strength of his leg, he tugged Makoto forward while she was in the middle of pulling on her arm. The sudden jerk caused her to slip in her footing and shift forward, and opened her up for Kinjou's right palm to slam into her stomach.

"Uff!" the sound was the air being forced out of Makoto's lungs, as the blow caused her to stagger backwards, both arms guarding her ribs as she took a step back.

Though the blow had been a surprise, as Kinjou attempted a wide kick; the squirrel-kin adjusted her position and ducked right under it, before pushing off with a strong left in order to propel her towards him as he adjusted his stance. With his mid-back open to her, she brought her left fist into his exposed back and felt him stumble forward as she followed up with a right jab to his face. The second blow forced him forward and she chased, though as she watched him perform a quick roll forward; she hadn't quite noticed that he didn't come back up from the ground. This was in fact, Kinjou's choice to follow up with a quick inside sweep using his right foot in a low sweep to knock Makoto's feet out from beneath her.

"Wahh!" despite the spar being somewhat intense, her almost comical cry came as she fell down and to her right, hitting the ground with a grunt from the impact. Though she felt a second blow, a stinging in her stomach once again as Kinjou had side kicked her from the low stance he was in.

So far it was two for two in contact and as Makoto felt the familiar aches of full contact sparring, she smiled as she started to get back up quickly. Kinjou hopped up to his feet and resumed his stance, something that Makoto followed suit with and during their meeting glances: a look of respect passed from the two. Certainly the skills employed were commendable and though they'd only just gotten started, it was exciting to get that sense of welcome competition. The thrill came again as Makoto met Kinjou in another pass: which resulted in her punching him three more times in the ribs while she was kicked across the cheek. The squirrel-kin would complete two more passes with the kinkajou-kin warrior before their instructor stopped the pair.

"That's enough. I am impressed Makoto, though there is room for improvement, it seems if you're having a good time that your focus sharpens greatly. Kinjou, you have improved your footwork again, but you require work on the hand-locking the school focuses on. But that's for another time, now if you'll both follow me, it's time for meditation." Meilen had her own approach to training her students personally, it differed from her son-in-law's and her daughter's own choice approaches.

This was only going to prove that her methods were focused, albeit shorter in exposure, she chose to give her students little samples in order to help them focus on recalling the skills later. Once she had the pair of them in the altar room, she had them sit down on the mats. Makoto sat down with her legs folded under her as Kinjou sat down beside her on a cushion nearby kneeling. The meditation was to be an easier experience, at least for the start, even though it would get more intense as they started the active ki control practicing right afterwards.

As Makoto closed her eyes, she calmed her soul with a few breaths and visualized herself in the forest. This was where she was most calm, at least those woods around her home where she might go out to play once in a while. It brought the squirrel-kin to a better place and allowed her to draw upon inner-strength, her inner energies began to manifest along her skin. There in soft waves of soft bluish-purple, they beaded off of her as if under the force of a soft breeze. While she focused on keeping it active, it did start to rise and became stronger in the pressure that it was letting off.

Without opening her eyes, Meilen addressed the rising strength of Makoto's aura. "Keep your breathing rhythmic Makoto, focus on your breathing and keeping it long and at ease."

This was something that Makoto attempted to keep her breathing balanced, that part which was easy. Though her power raised ever so slightly, coming off in an uneven ripple pattern. Still it was working its way through her mind, the thought about keeping balance and that was overall her main goal. She could sense the same, similar pattern from both Meilen and Kinjou, as naturally the two had been practicing this for some time by now. She was so far behind the two of them...that was where she wanted to be.

"Ugh..." Makoto's ears sagged in her self-defeating efforts to focus, once she thought of how far behind she was, there she couldn't keep the concentration up.

As Makoto sat there, eyes half opened as she tried to think of why she was unable to focus, Meilen spoke up to give her a word of some advice.

"Try not to think of anything but where you are in your growth, and how you want to rise to your next level. Kinjou once did as you are now: that look in your eye speaks volumes to me. 'Why aren't I there?' and the answer is simple because, you have not crossed that line yet." the wisdom she gave was very practical.

"I think I get what you're saying, basically stop thinking so hard about it and do it...right?" Makoto smiled a little bit, as the advice was something similar to her father's general tips to her whenever she was fretting during training.

Sometimes it was a lot easier to stop thinking and just to let it all happen, that and to take your time was really something she had trouble doing. Often being prompted helped her and with this reminder, she let off a soothing breath and shut her eyes again. Once Makoto was back into meditation, Meilen returned to her own meditations with a light smile. It was nice to see that the younger squirrel-kin had not given up on her goals and was so fast back to her focus. It was merely a means of showing that she had some good training of her own when in her youth.

For the next hour, the three went through meditation and some breathing practices. The success for Makoto being somewhat, but not at all as much as she hoped: since she learned about maintaining the aura, but found it taxing and she was unable to for long periods of time. It was the fact that her power wanted to raise and continue to grow, it was the force that Meilen had described to her as 'expand', the first of two principles exercised in their basic training regimen. It was a basic skill that the Shimazu trained in, the two forces of ki control that had been dubbed the "breath gate" form. It was both the expand and contract principles that allowed the Shimazu family and some of their more advanced students to control the innate power within.

"So I'm on the cusp of learning the breath gate, which if I can pick up these basics and gain a strong command of them, should improve my control over my ki by far?" She posited the question, even though the answer was basically there.

"Exactly, Makoto. You already have a good command of your ki, but this will increase the control so that you have it performing exactly as you desire." Meilen was certain that the control of hers would improve dramatically.

This excited Makoto, the growth and chance for it always made her a very pleased trainee, things were still picking up and that only made her want to see how much better she could get from this. The training from the day had left feeling pretty well worked out, she'd had a strong showing in her competition and all of it left her eager for more of the experience. But as far as she could see, her master was rising and had appeared done. Just before Makoto could ask Meilen what the plan was, she responded and very clearly announced the next options for her. The squirrel-kin rose from her seated position to a standing one and listened to her elder as she started to speak.

"I'm off to make dinner Makoto, if you and Kinjou want, you can spar again. But make sure to keep it light okay? I don't need either of you beaten up by tomorrow, since to be frank; you'll be very busy with what I have planned." Meilen made sure to be clear on that, as tomorrow was the more physical day of the training week for her.

As soon as the elder left, Makoto punched her fist into her palm and looked to Kinjou with a grin. The fact that she wanted another chance to spar with him quite apparent, the chance for this life exercise felt good for her.

"So Kinjou, are you game for a second spar?"

"Count me in Makoto, I don't feel I gave you a proper showing earlier. I'd like to make sure you have a strong impression of our style, I'm going to make this spar worthy this time."

"That's what I like to hear, I know you had to hold back a lot, so let's see you do with something packing a bit more...pepper."

As Makoto looked back to the training room, Kinjou joined her on the walk back, coming up to her side. And for a moment it seemed like nothing could go wrong, as the squirrel-kin was in a great place mentally. After the bit of the warm up that she'd had earlier, she was looking forward for a serious spar and was with someone that had the skill for it. Now it was going to be a matter of them getting there and in a rush. She was really looking up to this, as they hit the gym's mat where they could spar.

Makoto moved to the other side of the mat and prepared herself for the bout, something about this just psyched her up for the spar ahead. When both stood ready, Makoto started them off with a quick rush towards him, with her arms tucked in at her sides expertly to hide her intentions. As she shuffled from the left to the right, during the charge it served to keep her body unreadable in terms of projection of her next move. And as she closed the gap between her and Kinjou, her left fist went up in a feint; just before she shifted to her right fist and found her mark in Kinjou's left side. Seeing her success she attempted a left cross aimed for Kinjou's chin, only to find he arched his back enough to avoid her punch all together.

"Huh? Oof!" the squirrel-kin grunted as she felt Kinjou's foot kick her along her left side.

Though the pair were forced to part for a moment, Makoto charged in again and threw a punch at Kinjou's ribs, aiming for a body blow. The impact was met with a loud 'thump!' as her punch as deflected by Kinjou's open left palm. It was a gentle force that guided her fist to the side and that surprised her. As she brought her left fist up in an uppercut, Kinjou's position had changed. For Kinjou, he'd widened his stance and used his left palm to slide under Makoto's forearm and while adjusting the uppercut's path away from his body with his right palm; he made use of the leverage and simply tossed Makoto in a forearm throw to the floor.

"Wha!" making a sound of some alarm, as she hit the ground and managed a half tumble out of it.

Though there was some pain, but it was pretty brief and Makoto got back to her feet with a grin on her face. "Not bad at all Kinjou! It seems that you don't want to trade power blows with me, huh?" naturally she grinned at it, since most guys she knew often thought the could handle that strength of hers, and Kinjou seemed to be wise to her strength.

"Certainly not! I prefer to keep my hand-locking skills sharp anyway." Kinjou grinned playfully and had performed a few posturing hand sweeping motions in front of him. Choosing to show off a little bit, though he chose to move up on her this time.

With the kinkajou-kin on the move, Makoto waited for his attack to come. This was when he struck, shifting his hand into a knife edge and casting the chop from a vertical area above Makoto's position. Something that Makoto blocked with her left forearm, before she tossed the attack off with little effort on her part. Swinging her right out towards him, she made sure to hold back to full force of the attack until the last possible moment. Kinjou realized that her attack left him little chance to manage a full guard at this range.

So using his left hand hand to meet her left punch, he lightly gripped her hand and shifted that punch towards his side and while making sure to turn his body; Makoto exerted a strong surge of force through her fist and forced it down. The strike aimed for Kinjou's chest, and it was something he exhaled his breath on contact with. The blow was solid enough that he staggered briefly, but he'd kicked low with his left foot right after being hit. Makoto raised her leg in time and stepped back to avoid the low kick, though she watched as Kinjou brought the same leg around again with greater force. Something that she met with both of her forearms and though she took minimal damage, it still staggered her.

Makoto turned to guard against another kick that was rising up in front of her face, once more another blow that was sweeping across her guard. Though she was pushed back this time, her footing was superior to the previous turn. She'd avoided the following thrust kick from Kinjou's right leg, moving herself off to the left side of the attack. While she prepared an attack of her own, she'd found herself drawing her head back and off to the side with good timing, just managing to avoid the snap kick aimed at her face. Once again Makoto was astounded at the pace Kinjou kept up with and seeing another kick aimed at her face and upper body, the squirrel-kin's defense was being tested as she blocked strike after strike from his foot.

This time as Kinjou's right heel whipped inside to perform an inside crescent kick, Makoto blocked it with her right forearm and smirked at the force she felt. Despite the impact, she managed to push his leg away from her and moved into the range of his leg with her guard raised high in front of her. Though as she imagined, he was prepared to use that same leg and watching his expertise as he drew his leg back to bar her moving in on him; she'd managed to get close enough at least and thrust a good left jab for his lower chest. Kinjou was balancing on his left leg, since Makoto's guard kept his right leg propped up in front of him, yet still he reached down and caught her jab with his left hand and felt the impact of it. Though a little rattled by the force he felt, he held her fist firmly and adjusted his right leg, slipping his foot into a raised posture above Makoto and freeing it up from her advantage against his position.

As Makoto's eyes shifted back to the leg that raised up, she did feel the impact of a palm strike against her shoulder which caught her by surprise. This made her stumble back a half-step and while she caught herself, that raised foot was sped towards her in the form of an axe kick. This forced her into an immediate defense where Makoto crossed her arms in a raised guard and caught Kinjou's leg though under some force from the impact against her guard. She managed to hold it up, albeit with some trouble due to the strength of his leg and its previous momentum. With the pair locked up at this range, it was will versus will and in the end the squirrel-kin did manage to shove the leg off to her right and stepped back once to give herself some room.

Resuming stances briefly, this more intense session of sparring had left them both feeling challenged, as the trade of blows showed that neither was going down after only a few shots. It invigorated Makoto to continue and she could tell that Kinjou was still primed for more action. Though before either could really start on the next pass, Meilen's voice sounded off from the hallway that lead to the training room.

"Dinner is ready! You two get cleaned up and come join us!" naturally the matron's tone was commanding, but not harsh, it was a tone that mildly scolded a young one who was trying to continue when they should stop.

It was enough to make Kinjou grin a little bit, in a silly manner, as he dropped his stance and looked to Makoto before speaking up. "I guess we got carried away huh? To be continued for now, eh?"

"You betcha! I'm glad to see you can take what I dish out, it makes it easier knowing I didn't break anything after an excited punch or two back there. Let's go get some chow, Kinjou!" she raised her fist, pumping it in jubilation towards the prospect of a good meal. Especially realizing how hungry she was, she said this just before she walked down the hallway.

Kinjou followed and shook out his wrist, realizing that he was going to have to be really careful with her punches. He could take it, sure, but it sure hurt as if one of his parents used ki directly in a blow and he'd blocked it without ki. She was certainly something, a real dynamo of strength, skill, and spiritual potential. Sparring was definitely looking more interesting and Kinjou knew that he could barely wait for the next match. And though he looked on with excitement, he would also be sure to parry, rather than block Makoto when he could: lest he wanted hurt limbs that he'd need tiger balm to help soothe.

Still it left a lot ahead of them, he found that as he headed to his room to change for dinner and clean up that he was looking forward to the next spar. A worthy opponent who was either at his level or close enough that it might truly allow him to gauge his skills. It was almost surreal to find someone to contend with on nearly equal grounds. The next spar he could see was going to be more fun and as long as Makoto continued to improve, it would leave the spars to grow in seriousness. Disappearing into their rooms, both Kinjou and Makoto went about prepping for dinner. The sewn seeds for the next step in both friendship and growth in the martial arts had truly blossomed.

(End Chapter)

Finally got this one out, boy did it take a while to get through this and now with it completed, the time to move on is in a high mark. Makoto's growth will continue and so will her adventures on the trails to improve before she gets back to her job as an Agent of Sector Seven. What will come of the training, either the fruits of labor or a paltry failing?

Wait to see in the next chapter, until then I bid you adieu!

-Quentix


	5. Chapter: A Master's Focus

A/N: It has been a while since I've been writing in late, but I did manage to start up again. With a new job things get interesting and time is less, but I am still focused on writing. This story shall go on, let's see where it gets to, as we continue with the next chapter of Makoto's tale!

Here we go!

(End A/N)

Chapter IV: A Master's Focus

The next week of training had been one relatively steady, with a focus on the mental and the breathing gate techniques as that was Makoto's request. She desired to continue her growth in the Breath Gate form, as it was the one thing that she wanted to utilize more. The power within, how great it was, and the fact the sleeping force in her was almost at her fingertips. Then she could protect everyone that mattered, it was fast becoming her greatest effort through training yet and she found that she was able to focus better every day with her master's guidance. Meilen saw her desires and hoped to help the mighty young woman realize it.

As since her recovery, Makoto has focused harder and through Meilen's small hints, she found that she was often closer to the lessons that were being taught at the pace that she picked them up. Essentially the more she discovered without being directly told, the faster she learned. Each day had been a small step in the right direction and with how her master taught, every lesson covered a vast amount of knowledge. It was surprisingly easy to keep pace with despite all of the amount of information to take in. Each lesson followed a spar or direct visual for the lesson to remain cemented within her.

Today was another day that pushed the bar for the squirrel-kin, as she worked hard pushing herself through the drills of beginners' class. While kicking had never been her favorite go to move, she was could appreciate the understanding she was learning from it. It amazed her how fast that feet could move and it would prove insightful against her sparring matches with Kinjou. Though he was far faster than these students, the forms were naturally similar or the same. She found herself eager for the next lesson, as the improvement alongside so many other kind and energetic people just made it more lively on her.

"Hiyah!" as she performed a heel kick, her foot came down to the floor and flattened one she was through performing the maneuver.

"Good work today, class. We're done for now, tomorrow we practice kicking forms III to VI! Practice and come ready, and don't forget to sweat! Dismissed." the strong voice from Sumina got acknowledgment from the students who all bowed to her before they turned and started away. It was something of an exhilarating time for the squirrel-kin, she was with the beginner class for maybe only the past week and as Meilen told her; her performance increased.

It was a combination of the refined training from a master like Meilen and the basic knowledge from either Keikan or Sumina, who often taught the classes the days that she was training with the class. The basis of all of the lessons remained with her and she felt pumped just coming from this latest class and while briefly in discussion with one of the other students from the class about some of the kicks and how effective she felt they could be when applied certain ways, her thoughts were interrupted politely by a friendly voice.

"Really into the classes? I'm so happy that you've taken to our teaching in one way, Makoto!" it was Meilen's voice that spoke with some enthusiasm.

"Sensei Meilen! Yes, I can see it now, the practical use of the style. Everything seems to be falling into place." this was speaking of her understanding, as it was nearly a complete image. She applied the thought from today's class to what she was learning on the side, and the breathing helped her to grasp the image of the gate and why it was called 'Breathing Gate'.

It almost sounded like a storybook in its outcome, though Makoto's enthusiasm was in the right place, Meilen did wish to correct something for the eager beastkin.

"The basics of the Breath Gate are more difficult than they seem, grasping them is really just the edge of what's important. Just a fair warning, keep your eyes on the goal for yourself and this will continue to come naturally." these were simple words of wisdom as she'd seen many a student get upset and want to quit when they found the power was still further away from them than they thought.

"Yes Sensei, I understand what you mean. I don't like shortcuts, honestly I'm glad its not so easy, since I am starting to grasp a lot more than just simple basics due to the focus, I almost feel enlightened." the squirrel-kin said this even if it was somewhat of a joke.

"Now if you'll come with me, Makoto. There is something that I want to show you, as for the rest of you, enjoy the rest of your day. Don't forget to live every day with dignity and focus." she smiled at their and dipped her head towards them in a show of respect. Before the elder beastkin turned and began to away from the students, with Makoto in tow.

It had not taken long to get the eager S7 agent to follow with her. She recalled the most recent advanced lesson that she picked up, which were a few pointers on making her punches swifter and showing far less in terms of projecting a path to her opponent. Competency as a warrior was something that any practicing person should engage in. Of course her thoughts ceased by the time she reached a familiar courtyard and with the sight of Kinjou, her expression broke into a grin. So it was to be more training with him? At least that was what she was thinking upon the first instant, before Meilen spoke up.

"Today's lesson is one to gauge where you stand, as you've sparred with Kinjou, I've only been more and more impressed by the skills, adaptation, and how fast you learn in general Makoto. You truly do possess a knack for combat and today, two things will happen. Those are: I will ascertain specifically where I am sure you stand and I will also have gotten some decent exercise." the elder beastkin let off a small, wry grin after saying that.

Makoto took a moment to get what she said, though the look of horror on Kinjou's face had her catch on.

"Whoa, wait...we're sparring with you today?" she wasn't against it, but was taken aback by the news coming to her.

"Yes, you are certainly ready for this, in fact I'd say you have been for the past week, though I was waiting specifically for what I felt was the right time. That time is today, since you've had the lessons and warmed up. All you and Kinjou are going to do first is perform katas while I set up the gym, I will call for you when it is time. First it will be you, Makoto against me, and then the follow up? Will be you and Kinjou against me." it was a successive spar, to keep both her and to pressure Makoto into a potential gauntlet of a continuous combat of sorts. She wanted to see what her response to that would be and she knew this was the best way to gauge that. That or to each their own, she made her choice for it either way.

A small wave of nervousness mixed eagerness bled off of Makoto's aura, the chance to spar with someone who was a master among masters at this household really excited her. It was a rare opportunity, and something told her everything involving it would teach her a lot as long as she paid extra attention. While Kinjou rose, she smiled and nodded to him, as the two had become closer friends through sparring and training. He was a regular face for her to see and the first she went to with any questions, in particular about breathing. With the two closer in terms of level (though she is still the beginner by comparison), it was a lot easier for her to ask him questions and get answers that seemed less cryptic. Something that a master of a form tended to sound like, even unintentionally at times.

"Kinjou, you look a little sore, something wrong?" she asked her normal training partner, wondering if there was a cause for it.

"Just my mother's kick this morning, I didn't judge the force of it properly and tried to block it. So yeah, ouch." he said with a small chuckle, it wasn't anything that would slow him down too badly.

"An incident, but nothing that should stop you from sparring, right Kinjou?" Meilen asked her grandson if he was okay, even though he'd been checked out and the blow was relatively minor in nature: she preferred to be sure of his safety.

"I'm alright for sparring, Grandmother, thank you for your concern." the spry youth wasn't going to let something get in the way of lessons today.

It was just what she imagined his answer would be, he was stalwart and tried to stand as upright as his parents did. Meilen was proud of him for that little bit, especially since he managed to be more practical and upright than lots of young men who grew up in this world. Many either growing skeptical, arrogant, or with conceit in some manner. Kinjou wasn't perfect, but he was humble enough to see many of the things that could make his path more difficult than it was already. He tried to keep it all in a good, controlled manner despite the chip on his shoulder. It was no less than many children scarred by the Ikarugan Civil War, but that said it was nothing that he let keep him down and she couldn't be prouder.

"You two are going to go through Form VI: Chasing the Stardust Tails, slowly. Work on fluidity and point control, keep those strikes from hitting with any real force." Meilen's instruction was pretty simple in the terms of the thought. She was not looking to see any real contact, since there was going to be enough of that later. She was checking on where Makoto was, considering that she was still so new to this.

There was an excitement that surged through Makoto at the sound of the instructions received, it was simple, but a thing that she still had some issue with. Her movements could be fluid, but it was hard to keep the momentum under her control at times. It was easiest for her to control her punches still to this time, but not to do the same with her feet. She had light feet, but to keep her feet under basic point control from start to finish? She had a bit of work to do first in that department. It was exactly the thing that she eagerly approached though, not wanting to do less than make more progress en route of the kata.

"Come on Kinjou! Let's do this thing!" Makoto said while thrusting her fist into the air overhead, taking that usual peppy energy and putting it to use.

"Yeah, let's get started!" he said this while pumping his fist into the air to show that he was right with her in terms of focus.

As Makoto stood in front of Kinjou, her left hand rose up in an open palm, while her right hand curled next to the open palm, half curled at the fingertips, taking the form of a crane bill strike. During this her left leg planted firmly on its base while her right foot rose until it balanced on its toes, pointed in Kinjou's direction. With his step taking up something of a countering stance to her own posture: with his right knee raised, left palm flat and both palms spread outward, he took the posture known as 'Nine Bird Landing'. It was something that emphasized almost entirely a kick based reaction to the oncoming strikes and was something known for its difficulty. Though it was just that kind of reaction that Makoto brought out in him.

Suffice to say, it did not take the two very long to get started as Makoto moved forward in one swift half step. While her left foot drew inward and her hand thrust forward in the form of a crane bill, she aimed for Kinjou's waist. Though his countermove had been to step to the right of the strike and using his left foot to parry the strike, by raising his foot in an inside circular motion and using it to try and hook her wrist and capture her. Which while succeeding initially, Makoto loosened her wrist to weaken his hold and then used her second hand to push his foot down. Grinning at him, she used her right fist this time and brought it up in a quick punch, which his already elevated foot was being used to parry.

The two were already quickly tangled up in a faster version of the kata, as simply put: it was simply too thrilling to enjoy the countering. Makoto's mind was starting to really adapt to the move/countermove practice and it had improved her already impressive reactions. It was a desire to use this new talent to protect those she wished to protect: it was something that definitely helped with her making a lot of headway. And as the two continued their kata, they actually managed to complete it without breaking things in terms of speed. The two clashed and the joys experienced by it were nothing less than amazing, it was a bonding moment that the squirrel-kin was all too happy to embrace.

Lessons, friendship, and some new insights on her fighting spirit, what could beat that? Though her inexperience did show now and again: as Makoto gave into her favored treatment of a double jab with her left and a right punch feint. Something that Kinjou did not miss as he grabbed her right wrist and used it to toss her off to his right, using her momentum behind the maneuver. Even though without full force, Makoto's raw speed was still enough to cause herself to fall with the action that her training partner took.

"Waaah!" the squirrel-kin's cry came in surprise as she was casually tossed to the side. Still, she managed to recover in form of a quick tumble. Since learning to take a throw, catching herself came instinctually. To some effect the outcome of their training had been fruitful to her, even though the hasty nature of hers had opened her up.

"Good maneuver! I almost didn't see it coming." Kinjou said this while straightening back up and offering her a hand up.

Seeing the hand, Makoto accepted it and used the aid to raise from her position on one knee. It was while the pair shared a soft laugh that Meilen clapped a few times and could be seen smiling. She had planned to spar with the pair of them in order to gauge them. It had come to a point where she knew Makoto was likely going to leave them soon and she wanted to test her properly. Now was her chance in terms of that: she was going to see where both her grandson and pupil stood in terms of talent and skill.

"Now, the two of you need to come to the gym with me. I am taking you to a private training room, since I wish to test your skill without any prying eyes." it was more because as the Grandmaster, she kept her style from the eyes of the general public unless she was given no alternative.

"Uh, okay Grandmother. Let's go." he seemed to be happy to go, though a little confused, and a little worried since he knew about her level of skill. Still it was a good way to see how good he was and gauge his battle skills as a whole.

"Alright, Master!" Makoto had been waiting for this chance, the wish to see where she stood versus someone so focused and poised excited her. As some part of the squirrel-kin desired to push herself to a higher limit.

-Within the Training Room-

As two younger Beastkin looked on at their master, things were slightly tense because Meilen's aura was thrumming softly with energy, both Makoto and Kinjou knew that she was ready to engage in a spar. Though it almost felt like a battle against a great brutal opponent, one that looked through a calm gaze, a veteran who could crush a target with little effort.

 _'It feels like I'm standing in front of a great wellspring of might...she's just so...so poised. I'm itching to try her out!'_ Makoto's own thoughts came out with great glee as she started to throw a few quick jabs and swing her legs back and forth to see that they were loosened up. Though she soon stopped bouncing once she saw Meilen removing her outer robe.

The grandmaster was removing the Robes that read along the back "Tranquility & Focus" in Japanese kanji. It was a real honor for Kinjou to witness this simple act, as he'd never known her to take anything that seriously. Of course, all of the 'honor' of the scenario did not make it any less scary for him, as her student, as her grandson he was certain that they were no match. For Makoto it was like unveiling a whole new area for her to get to know. It was beyond simple words and left her full of determination to match what she could feel was immense and without limit. In a nutshell, seeing and sensing Meilen at this range left her skin tingly, though left her alight with confidence.

"Are you two ready?" the 5'2" kinkajou beastkin let off a soft breath, the air around her seemed to ripple with the simple action. Causing a tension to rise in both her grandchild and student. This made her smile at the fact that they were so tense and it had yet to begin.

"Yes, Grandmother."

"Sure thing, let's get this thing going!"

No sooner had the pair finished speaking, did Meilen's face break into a smile while she let off a light nod with her body dropping into stance. With both hands raising up before her while the pair moved forward on their approach to her, it was upon the two seizing the initiative and attacking that brought her countermove to light. She grabbed both Makoto and Kinjou's wrists and tugged both her student's punch and her grandson's open palm strike down. Using their momentum and the simple forced motion to force both of them towards the ground before releasing them from her grip. There was a small smile on her face as the pair tumbled and rolled to their feet, Kinjou springing up and spreading both palms out while raising his left leg.

"Nine Birds: Retaliation Claim stance, is it? Interesting choice." Meilen responded in kind, by rushing upon him first.

Each step of hers a silent, fluid step that was performed by her left foot sweeping forward in a sweeping inner crescent step, followed by the right foot doing the same. The only reason why her footwork was so important, was due to her grandson's stance. As noted in the form's posture, as Meilen struck with an open palm of hers, Kinjou's elevated left leg moved like lightning and looped partway around his grandmother's right wrist. Though as he tried to lock her wrist up, she let it fall limp and used her left shoulder to strike Kinjou's ankle and forced his lock motion to falter. As she freed up her wrist, Meilen dropped her right shoulder in a shrugging motion and narrowly missed a fast jab from Makoto.

"Whhaat?" Makoto was amazed, she had attacked in Meilen's blindspot and hit nothing but air and in response from the grandmaster had been to nudge her shoulder up and smacked the squirrel-kin's wrist and caused her fist to fall loose.

Again in some amazement at the simple maneuver, Meilen struck again during Makoto's surprise. Though the moment of shock lasted only a few moments, it was long enough to be hit in her ribs. The blow caused Makoto to double over slightly, though the moment that she started to recover, she was forced to bring her forearms up to block a thrust kick. During this time, Meilen used a fist to hit her grandchild in his shin, just hard enough to cause a flinch. While his foot snapped out to return the favor, she moved her arm back and avoided the kick, just before grabbing his foot and using the leverage she had on his balance to throw him and his foot backwards. Kinjou gasped and let his body fly backwards, as his grandmother's strength forced him into a full body twist, he recovered partway in midair and managed to bring his body to a balance and adjusted his landing so it was in something of a crouched position.

"Impressive you two, but I'm afraid that isn't enough, you'll need to show me more." The elder beastkin smiled at them in a genuine manner, both meaning to show that she appreciated the effort, but intended for them to bring up the effort more than they had so far.

"How much more?" Kinjou asked her, since he was used to showing off certain degrees and levels of power. What did she want them to show? He hoped for a clear answer and in fact, received it in the pressure from a soft white golden aura that surrounded his grandmother.

"Enough to help this old gal stretch her limbs, Kinjou. I rarely indulge, but this is a rare chance, so please respond accordingly or you may end up hurt." though cautionary in her plea, she showed that regardless of his choice made, that she would be using a fair amount of power.

If anything the pressure caught Makoto off guard and she could tell just how smooth Meilen's aura was. This was what it meant to have control over one's aura. It was enough to surprise her a fair amount, though there was nothing to go with in terms of sheer talent alone being enough. This was years of tempering, her master came this far through practice day in and day out, it was inspiring! Makoto often tended to drift from things, though she trained hard in order to ensure she could protect herself and others that mattered to her: this training was something beyond physical, instinct, it was enlightened as far as she felt.

"Now THIS is gonna be a spar, alright, bring it on!" Makoto rose, her tail's fur frizzed with some of her excitement, nervousness lingering in the pit of her stomach, and anxious excitement at the chance to get serious.

After Kinjou rose to his feet, he took in a breath and released it, as a small yellow golden aura rose above his skin. This focus or concentration he used was around 60% of his aura capacity, he knew that he'd need such to just maintain bruises and nothing worse. Having sparred with his grandmother some times before, he knew that she held back greatly, but even she could not account for negligence on the one who accepts sparring with her. Though the thought almost sounded cruel, the truth of matter was, sparring with the Grandmaster was an honor, an acknowledgment of one's growth. It was a gesture of her good will towards the student that she chose to offer a few pointers and personal guidance through the spar itself.

Makoto took in a soft breath and copied the effort, a focus brought a soft blue aura to her skin, though it was not radiating around her as it was for Kinjou or his grandmother. For a moment, it was quite the spectacle to witness, with no movements for around 40 seconds after it all happened. The following moment, Kinjou made the first effort and moved faster than a regular person could blink and in that forward step, he punched at Meilen's center mass. Something that she countered with her left foot, by pushing his punch down and in a single turning motion, her tail tip lashed across his face and forced him into a side stagger that ended with him on his hands and knees. Though Makoto attacked within that time frame, no less than a second after: she threw a fierce right punch with great pressure.

Enough of the force could be felt by Meilen as she side stepped Makoto and using her left palm, she pushed the squirrel-kin's fist to the side and her punch went wide. Though it missed, the force from that swing was enough to crack the ground, despite not actually hitting the reinforced wooden floor. The missed strike earned Makoto a palm strike in return, enough that it made her sputter and step back, staggered by the simple action.

"Gah..!" Makoto flinched and shut her right eye as she attempted to overcome the pain. How did it hurt this much? She knew that aura was potent, it enhanced one's abilities to levels capable of rivaling ars magus. Still, this was insane...

"Come on you two, stop smarting over warm up blows. Get a little more serious, because if I wanted moving targets, I'd set up two bags and hit them." Meilen seemed to be disappointed with the effort so far, she knew they were capable of more.

Sparring was fine with a mindset, but they needed to consider that the danger element was a little higher.

"Practice or not, spar or not, I need you two to act like this is a real fight. Not to do more than subdue or defeat someone. You are both capable of so much, so show it to me." Meilen's tone was gentle, but serious. She expected something from them both here.

Makoto looked to Kinjou, who managed to get back to his feet, after feeling the tail lash across his cheek, his face was already sporting a red bruise along the length of his cheek and down to his upper neck/shoulder region. The squirrel-kin felt invigorated by the few words shared by Meilen, she was right about the two of them. After having sparring with Kinjou for weeks upon end, the two of them going to levels of near serious combat, they learned something about one another. It was something that the two of them needed to tap into right now, even if Meilen was easily superior, a good match would involve strategy and not focus on the difference in ability. Makoto's trademark grin rose across her features as her fists rose in front of her, while she thrust a jab forward while grounding her stance.

"Shooting Arrow claims the star? Oh...what an aggressive choice." Meilen said this, commenting on Makoto's stance, while keeping a sharp eye on the both of them. Knowing they'd finally gotten things together.

There were no words passed between the two, just a gesture of Makoto's eyes to the right while she looked at Kinjou. He gave her a soft nod and took a relaxed, nameless stance with both hands guarding his upper torso and shoulder length apart stance. The two shot off in a quick instant, darting at Meilen simultaneously and withholding their actual attacks until the last minute possible. It was just as they were right upon her that they struck. Makoto's right fist shot at Meilen with great force behind it, she hoped to land a solid blow on her master with the speed. Kinjou followed suit with a left foot in order to support Makoto's attack on Meilen.

"Hah!" Meilen let off a martial arts yell and expelled a burst of her ki'an aura, slowing the kick and punch attacks down immensely, just before grabbing them first. She intended to toss the pair once again.

However, as she tried to pull the two forward, she was forced to unravel the first layer of her tail from her waist and used the girth of her tail and its close proximity to her body to counteract a following up punch from the pair. It had enough force that her tail moved back slightly under the focused pressure against the last minute guard. This made her quite happy, finally the two were getting more into the spar. They'd go a long way as long as she focused on it, given that she desired it: it was going to be a matter of applying all her focus to this. This was going to be something to savor, as finding such potential as she had in Makoto. The amount of aura that she possessed was beyond any of the students at their dojo.

"Magnificent." was the response from the grandmaster as she jumped backwards, avoiding a roundhouse kick from Kinjou. Though Makoto gave close chase followed by her grandson.

The two were working well with each other as she hoped, it showed that Makoto had experience and adapted to another in battle at her side if needed. It was a good skill to have, being a team player was not always the first skill that many of the students of the Shimazu clan possessed. A lot of them had to adjust to it, but this was not the case here. The two were fighting in turn with one another and stayed on top of Meilen's defenses. But it still wasn't enough to deal with her, each kick or punch that had been sweeping at her was avoided or blocked easily. It was the growing frequency and Meilen actually had not noticed the pair were actually setting herself up for pincer attack.

"Hah!"

"Kyah!"

The very sudden attack cries came at the last possible minute as the two broke off from their random attacks and struck at once. With Makoto's fist aimed high and a double leaping kick from Kinjou striking: aimed for both mid and low on the regions of his grandmother's torso, it seemed certain they'd land their blows. The pair landed their blows on something, they met Meilen's tail and it flexed them off with ease. Makoto was once again, in some shock over the response, her left forearm raising quickly to block the whip of her tail along both her and Kinjou's shin. The strike made the pair flinch as they attempted to maintain some kind of frontal assault, even though that effort too was short lived.

"Mm!" let off a simple enunciation of breath, Meilen shoved her tail outward and pushed both Kinjou and Makoto back from her body with some ease.

Though surprised, neither of the two had any desires to slow or stop their assault. At least, that was the original plan, a plan that changed as Meilen turned the tables on the pair. With a swift high kick, Kinjou was sent to the ground backwards. Makoto soon followed suit as Meilen blocked two of her punches and struck her ribs with a double palm strike. Though it was as the squirrel-kin fell that she felt a hard lash against her ribs that sent her into the Kinjou's side with the follow-up shot connecting against her. Makoto whimpered gently and held her ribs as she got up slowly, eyeing the aura around Meilen in some shock.

While the pair rose slowly, Meilen looked on with a bit of a grin at the pair. Without needing to say anything, Makoto got up while nursing her ribs and then exhaled a breath and looked to Kinjou. He gave her a nod and rolled forward towards his grandmother, while Makoto thrust her fist out, he lashed forward his foot. The strikes were both blocked by Meilen's forearms as she pushed them off, grinning at the pair before rushing in on them. As the grandmaster rose on her toes and pushed off quickly, her footing was weakened, but her pace was greatly increased.

Meilen appeared as little more than a glowing blur as she moved onto the attack, with her first strike: a spinning sweep with her tail moved low and let it sweep across the ground in a twist of her body. It was the use of the momentum she'd built up alongside the pressure of her ki'an that increased the force of the blow. Her tail strike having come with such speed, caught the ankle of Kinjou and a part of Makoto's shin as she jumped and tried to get over it. The two were forced to recover their own ways: with the squirrel-kin rolling on her side and the kinkajou-kin ended up cartwheeling to catch himself. The pair looked at the grandmaster with a weary look as she seemed to have reached a very different degree of her intent, she was serious about putting more effort in that was certain.

'This is the rush I expect from the right students...' the thought came to her mind like a whisper in the back of the Grandmaster's mind as she drew her face back with some effort, with her body energized by her ki'an: it was as if her youth had returned to her.

Her senses were back within their prime and little escaped Meilen's attention now, something the pair were on the verge of finding out. As she tilted her head forward and casually avoided a whiffed kick by her grandson, before taking a half step back while her right palm fell into place and applied just enough force to tilt Makoto's powerful rising fist over her left shoulder. It was like a soft song to her ears, as she heard the reaction of both Kinjou and Makoto: pure surprise from them both as to how their coordinated efforts fell short yet again. They had no idea how good they actually were doing, to have her reinvigorate the memory of her youth through her ki'an aura, even though it did mean more pain for them. The pair were still recovering as quickly as they could from their off kilter attacks, this was when she struck: a thrust of her tail tip into Makoto's ribs while she swept low and performed a low kick towards Kinjou's balance, at his right ankle.

"Oof!" Makoto's voice echoed in the hall as she doubled over and tucked both arms over her ribs, the blow sent a pulse of pain throughout her entire body as she fell to her knees, wheezing for some air.

"Agh!" Kinjou's cry was similar to one, as a sting of pain shot through his right ankle and up his leg, his body was already in midair as the shock of pain rippled and expanded the moment his back hit the mat hard, causing him to roll over twice, hands immediately wrapped around his ankle trying to soothe the pain that was running through it.

Meilen shot back up to her feet and was grinning softly, huffing gently with her effort, more as the excitement ran through her mind she dropped into stance. Gesturing with a hand for the pair to get back over to her quickly, they weren't finished sparring anytime soon. Fortunately she saw the pair shaking off the hits they'd taken. It left them reeling but ready, there was no reason to be overwhelmed by the force they'd taken. Makoto whispered something to Kinjou, more like wording it since Meilen heard no words uttered. But during the moment following, the pair erupted into aura and rushed in blurs that surprised even the Grandmaster's sharpened senses.

As Kinjou kicked with a good amount of force, Meilen applied her full aura, for just a split second, and exhaled a powerful kiai in that same moment.

"Hah!" the expelled force she released shook the floors of the training hall, while Kinjou's foot actually visibly halted inches from his grandmother's face.

Makoto moved even faster than Kinjou, as for a single second of her spirit and the desire to really floor Meilen: she let off a kiai of her own as her fist attempted to belt her instructor in the ribs. "Hiyyahh!"

The blow moved in slow motion to the full Ki'an aura of Meilen, whose eyes widened at the force behind it. She could take considerable damage if that hit her...in that moment she decided to focus into one of her actual techniques to counter the attack. She doubted that Makoto was in full control of the aura, but it was at once the most amazing thing and the most deadly thing she'd seen from anyone she sparred with. Meilen's tail moved fastest from her side and lashed the tip up, to increase its pace which packed the full force of her reaction within a single space. Faster than a speeding bullet, Makoto's fist exploded upward and only her elbow was lashed by the tail tip; providing just enough of a shift in direction that Makoto's flying punch cracked the ceiling and the rafters above in a rising angle, no less than a few inches from Meilen's face.

"Ouuch!" Makoto hadn't even noticed the damage she caused to the ceiling, because she was holding her elbow which most definitely had a black and blue bruise there after a shot like that.

"...Whoa." was all that Kinjou said as he witnessed the narrowly avoided shot to his grandmother's face, and the surprise was still visible upon Meilen's face as well.

"I think we are finished sparring for now, you two, but I must say you were both amazing." Meilen's tone was one of a satisfied degree, reflecting how pleased she was with their spar.

Makoto heard Kinjou and Meilen's words but was still nursing her new bruise and looked up in surprise. She was now wondering why her master was cutting the spar here, it just seemed to be a really strange place in her mind. At least, until the very moment that matter became Meilen's focus: just the reason why they were stopping right here.

"The spar is stopping because I feel the goal of it was met, Makoto showed a great deal of some of that potential and Kinjou, you've at least surprised me. There is nothing more that I hoped to see, than you two showing me some of what you can really do. That and getting in some exercise was a joy for me, I rarely get such a treat. So let's consider the gains from today, just reflect on what you've both felt and learned today." her words of wisdom came as Makoto's eyes finally rested upon the crack in the ceiling that she caused, there were streams of sunlight coming through the fist shaped crack.

"Oh no...I'm so sorry! I think I got a little too into things...eh heh." the squirrel-kin rubbed the back of her head and looked up at the light, though she did feel horrible, Meilen's gentle laugh drew her attention.

"Don't worry about it, Makoto. I've done worse to this old roof whenever training and sparring with my son-in-law or daughter, so don't let it worry you. That's just a crack, what I want you to do is realize that was all you: your ability with ki surpasses anyone within the Shimazu Clan with ease. Either before myself and including Kinjou and his siblings." the statement did help the blushing Makoto ease up, which was her master's purpose all along.

Kinjou was in some silence as he thoguht about it, he wondered about his potential since neither his parents or grandmother ever spoke of what that limit was. He didn't mind the statement of it being predicted as lower than Makoto's own, if in the fact alone that wielding ki was an honor and a blessing he felt. While feeling a bit of competitive spirit, it was wanting to know that limit that drove him to continue on his quest to master his own power. Training to defeat oneself and their previous standing the day prior was the goal of any martial artist, one he tried to embody or at least follow closely. His thoughts were however interrupted, as his grandmother had something more to say.

"I know you must go soon, Makoto."

"Huh, but I mentioned that only once, so long ago too."

"Ha, I may be old Makoto, but my memory is just fine. Between that and knowing that you cannot delay leaving, allow an old woman some parting words." she said this with a smile before she cleared her throat and said what last few things she had in mind. "It may ease your mind to know that you've long since cleared our basic skills test and are on your way to becoming an adept of Taeken's Kick. You must never stop applying yourself, as this is only the beginning, your extent of learning during the past four weeks has been impressive to witness. It has been an experience to train you, one that I shall cherish, Makoto."

The squirrel-kin looked blankly at her for a moment, this was 'that' test? She'd heard about it and had been prepping for it, practicing every day to that point and suddenly this random spar was it? She was a little floored by the revelation of learning that. It made her very happy to know it, she passed and didn't have to leave that as some incomplete thing in her mind. Even if it wasn't so mission directive, there was very little at physical fitness or activity that she failed at! She did feel that she was going to miss this place while she went to Ikaruga, but hey, she could always come back and visit later.

"Say, do you think I can come and stay with your family again? I have some time off in the near future, it might be nice to stay and continue with you guys. Though I'll be carrying more of my weight around here, that's a promise!"

Meilen giggled a little bit, seeing the earnest nature of the bright squirrel woman shining through her posture. Even the way her tail swished back and forth showed that she meant every word she said, it was an endearing thing about her that the elder beastkin enjoyed.

"Of course you may, you are welcome with our family at any time, even a surprise visit Makoto, it is not as if we lack the room. Drop by whenever you need to or even if you just want to say hi. You are certainly welcome among us and our gym, you are one of our pupils after all. Even if your business keeps you back and forth, that is the best part of our gym, there is no limit to your time in between visits." the gesture was extended to her, as she imagined her daughter and son-in-law felt similarly. Makoto was a joy to have within their household.

"Sheesh, you're going to make me turn red at this rate, Master!" Makoto was let a blushing mess while she rubbed the back of her head, taking a moment to regain some of her composure. She wasn't leaving until the following day or two, so it did give her some more time to enjoy her time among them.

Just then Sumina stepped into the room, eyeing the three that had been sparring so intensely with a little smile before making the announcement she came to make., "If the three of you would like some tea for your break, I've prepared some and a few snacks to help reinvigorate the martial spirit."

"I can use a snack, especially after that...ouch." Kinjou's works came with a small laugh following them, as the good spirit remained among the three.

Giving her grandson a pat on the shoulder, Meilen walked upright as she left the gym floor and followed Sumina's lead to the home den. Falling in line behind her, both Makoto and Kinjou brought up the rear. Makoto was rubbing her elbow where she was hit, that strike hadn't been very hard, but it left her funny bone feeling numb. She'd felt that energy of hers rise greatly within the moment, she had wanted to land a winning blow on her master bad enough at that point. She was trying to remember the feeling and memorize how it felt, as she knew that was going to allow her to tap into that strength at that level again. Sensations and feelings during heightened moments of ki usage was the foundation for her maintaining a constant degree of power and she knew that well after her time of training over the four week stretch.

As the squirrel-kin sat down with the family and started to converse over tea and the snacks offered, she couldn't help but smile at the enriching experience. She'd known long ago that she'd found friends here, a a very caring set of friends who looked after her selflessly when they didn't have to. As they shared laughs over silly training moments and the cool times of learning various things, though small in nature it just made it all seem better. It seemed that the world was only going to improve as long as people like them were in it. Though they were all done sparring for the day, Makoto decided that she'd rest her body as much as she could while still among them.

Her mind was still toiling over what she'd be doing soon, the mission ahead that she had, Sector Seven had come a long ways in terms of planning and her role would be working with Noel. Her mind couldn't help but focus on the day of her rescue, something that she barely remembered up till now as everything kind of blurred together. While she owed the Shimazu family as a whole for rescuing her and rehabilitating her, it was Kinjou's efforts that saved her from a truly worse fate. She never did properly thank him for that beyond a word of sincere thank you so far, though like the rest of his family, he thanked her and left it as good fortune that he'd been present to help her. It made her grin at silly he could be with how he responded, almost cheesy really despite being so sincere.

She decided to thank him again after their snack, leaving him unknowing of this? Just made the thought made her a little giddy. He was so clueless wasn't he? That sometimes a girl did like being rescued by someone who was dashing, even if Kinjou was a little bit of a goof, with that movie-like zen he had about the world. She came out of her thoughts just in time to catch the tail end of a question, though one she could answer easily enough.

"...are your plans after this, Makoto?" Sumina asking her the question while looking her way.

"I can't give you exact details, but I'll be returning to my duties is all. I intend to use everything I was taught to keep in top shape." she smiled at that, since they'd taught her a set of important skills.

"Then may the 9 Gates look towards your future." Meilen herself saying this in hopes that Makoto's path was a clear one.

"You will be missed Makoto, it's not every day that I find someone I can spar with half as good as you, that's my age!" he grinned at that since their last spar the previous night and the spar earlier with their master was a testament to that.

"Ha ha, right back at you, Kinjou! I'll miss all of you and when I'm all done, I promise to come to visit!" Makoto meant it, though saying this earlier, she was just reaffirming now. There was no way that she wasn't planning on visiting them after all they'd done for her.

"Then to a safe journey ahead for you and us all, Makoto." Sumina said while raising her tea cup.

"A safe journey to us all, Sumina!" Makoto mimicked how she raised it with her left hand under its base and her right hand holding it partway while she dipped her head. Sh joined the family in a brief head bow before each drank the tea.

The gathering went fairly well, ending after around 20 minutes with the group parting ways and going off to attend to various things. For Sumina it was the evening class of martial arts, while Meilen tended her tea garden, leaving the youngest of those within the household to sit in Makoto's room chatting. Of course, Kinjou normally would intrude, but Makoto invited him back there with a plan in mind. She had her unsuspecting guest all ready for her to thank him properly. The two were soon in her room after a brief walk and sitting with some steaming tea.

-Inside Makoto's room-

The two were resting against the wall, reclined partway against Makoto's bed, holding a simple conversation about how things were for the pair when they were younger. Simpler times that had both good and bad days for each, it was pretty easy to compare given that they both had times of exemplary character and others at their lowest. Kinjou looked intently to Makoto's tales of how being bullied really was hard, that struggle that he knew of in a lesser means than he had personally. Still through the whole thing, while he listened intently to her story of finding friends and focusing on that. It was something that he too tried to share, though the moment ended on a darker note for him given its end.

"...And really, I find it inspiring to see that you overcame such darkness Makoto, I mean, it is definitely something that gives me more hope for myself." he said this and got a small shoulder jab from her, he could see she was grinning.

"Oh come on, Mr. Humble and Earnest! That is too cheesy, even for you really! I get that it gives you a glimmer, but more hope? I'd imagine that your wonderful family helps there more than a stranger you met a few days ago." she was giggling softly now, unable to take that he seemed so sincere about it. Though it was flattering, he couldn't be that serious, could he?

"I actually do mean every word, Makoto. Certainly my family helped me through the darkest of the moments, I focused on learning and discipline, that is my foundation. But it wasn't until I met you and heard about your friends: Noel...Tsubaki, Carl, Kajun, Jin? It is a trust in humanity that I find waning for myself. I don't have a positive person I know except for a single family who has a shop in Orient Town. Even then we are not close, but listening to how happy you are? You are practically soaring in a blue cloudless sky with happiness. It's a beautiful thing to see and that is why I say it, that's why I say you give me hope. Stranger or not." he said this with a grin on his face.

"...Shucks, Kinjou. Trying to make me blush? You're so bad, giving me all these compliments!" she was a little red in the cheeks and now rubbing her shoulders, he did mean every word. Did her friends make her radiate with light that much? She felt that they eased her very soul, there was nothing better than that feeling. Thinking about it and how grateful she was to be alive, it made her want to thank Kinjou all the more. She turned scarlet red at the thoughts of her plan as she eyed the grinning Kinkajou-kin. He didn't have a single clue did he?

"Well I succeeded, so I think I win this round." he said with a light laugh, before patting her shoulder playfully. Indeed, he was completely oblivious to what she'd meant with her words. It both amused and annoyed the squirrel-kin that boys could always be so dense to such things.

"You won something alright, you goof." she said this as she leaned towards him, while he was still laughing a little bit.

Before Kinjou could respond to her movement, Makoto closed the distance between them and gently pressed her lips to his own. While he froze up, she placed one hand on his shoulder to hold him still for the brief moment that she held the sweet gesture to. For that moment, nothing had quite felt so rich as the feeling overran Kinjou's sensations in part as he felt the warmth against his lips. For the squirrel-kin it was more of a tickle in her stomach that erupted in a growing joy at the feeling of something that she felt she wanted to do for a good while.

For around 2 to 3 minutes, the pair remained close, at least until Makoto drew back, a red, blushing mess at this point. The two of them had been scarlet cheeked, as if they were only school children. Still the moment left Kinjou grinning like a giddy fool, blushing and trying to discover what he'd done to deserve such sweetness.

"Before you ask me a dumb question, that is what you deserved from the moment you saved my life. It's not a whole lot to ask for, y'know? A girl dreams of being saved by a hero, even if only a small, local hero. Oh and he's goofy enough to think little of what he does." she said as she patted his shoulder. Perhaps it was the way he acted that also drew her in. " I couldn't accept that whole 'you don't have to' thing. Besides, you are cute anyway, a bit dull-witted and slow on the uptake really. But as that's the worst thing to contend with? It's easy to overlook!" she said this with a playful smile on her features.

"Well uh...You're welcome, then, Makoto. I'm just glad that I was able to help you when it mattered most. I hate to think about what would have happened..." he trailed off and she shook her head gently at him.

"Don't think about it, Kinjou. It didn't happen and it won't, right? You were there and for all of that I am healthy and strong again. Heck, I'm better than ever due to your very kind family." Makoto patted his shoulder and sat back while looking around the room before leaning her back against the wall.

For a moment Kinjou was just quiet and looking on at the squirrel-kin, who seemed to be more at ease with that having been done. While there was an awkward silence between the two, the occasional glances that met up showed at least that it had been a welcome act. A first of affections for Kinjou really from anyone, for Makoto? A conveyed feeling that she'd wanted to share for a while. It wasn't a confession by any means, more of an 'I like you' sentiment. After all, it wasn't everyday that you could thank a hero who wasn't overly hyped about showing off with some goal in mind.

Maybe this was simply too much thought? Hell, it was enough that Makoto ceased all thinking, she'd gotten what she hoped from it. This was a nice way for the pair to part, as she had a mission to attend to, she wouldn't see him for a while but...it gave hope for her to have something to gossip about with Noel at least! A silly, but cute boy like this would be fun to chat about, with the best part being that Noel likely knew nothing about him. All that meant was, he might even seem made up, though he was anything but that.

With a soft smile passed from one to another, the two eventually began to talk about things: the martial arts, how they met, minor details of technique, ways of life, and just general things that they shared about family. All details related to anything short of the mission itself were kept free and Kinjou never pressed the issue, it was Makoto's last night with the family before she went to her rendezvous point. Though fate had its funny way of giving those a chance to see each other again. For Kinjou and his father were both headed to Kazamotsu to visit a relative and to see the local affair of the Ikarugan people in the province. Simply one of the little fateful details that would be made clear upon seeing one another again soon.

(End Chapter)

A bit of a fun note to leave on, albeit a bit of a strange way. I decided to try a different method than normal and this was the end result. Tell me what you think of it, too abrupt or not bad? That and prepare for the next chapter, which is on the horizon! I have not lost interest in any of my work, more like life's increase in weight slows me significantly. But I am still alive as a writer, so until the next time!

I bid you all adieu

-Quentix


End file.
